As recent local derbies go, tomorrows match at Pride Park is as important and as intriguing as many matches previous between Reds and Rams with good current form and huge points on offer for both sides.

Derby, sorry, Wayne Rooney’s Derby, are the form Championship team and with the former England Captain no doubt the pick of their players to watch, they under Phillipe Cocu have bounced back from an indifferent start to the campaign and in winning their last five matches they now sit seventh just a point outside the playoff spots.

A massive return since Rooney made his debut in January when the side were lying desperately trying to avoid the relegation scrap in seventeenth.

Not playing tomorrow for the behind-closed-door hosts, Andre Wisdom, who was tragically stabbed on Monday when in Liverpool seeing family. We wish him well and a speedy recovery. Also absent will be Tom Lawrence who less tragically got himself sent off (and slapped) in a stupid altercation with Matthew Miazga verses Reading.

Derby last time out on Wednesday, without Lawrence & Wisdom, won at Preston thanks to a magical free kick by Rooney which lead to one or two social media posts aimed at Forest fans stating along the lines of “I bet you wish you could do that”…. An hour later Tiago Silva proved that anything Derby and Rooney can do, Forest and the Portuguese star can do better. Something they hope will also be the case come Saturday.

Silva scored the majestic free kick to ensure Forest took the points over Bristol midweek and the Reds now sit seven points ahead of the Rams in fourth place also seven behind West Bromwich Albion in the second automatic promotion place below top of the table Leeds. Whilst a draw will do neither no harm I suspect, a win for either side will ‘really’ boost their ego’s ahead of the final five matches of the campaign.

An intriguing tie, a shame that it will be without fans but a less than hostile atmosphere in an empty stadium may suit Forest more than Derby but with both sides in fine form following the lockdown layoff this game is as hard to predict as any previous clashes of East verses West along the A52.

A moment of magic could be enough?

You never know? This might not even be the last time the two sides meet during this super stretched year-long season.

Kick off is at 12:30pm on Saturday and thankfully for those non-ifollow followers, this one is live on Sky.

*Main image @dcfcofficial Wayne Rooney has been in fine form since signing for Derby in January.