Derby County coach Paul Simpson has revealed his excitement as the squad continue their preparations for this weekend's meeting with rivals Nottingham Forest.

Steve McClaren's side head into the match on the back of a 1-0 win over fellow promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town, and Simpson admits that the team are relishing the prospect of another win over Forest after last season's 5-0 triumph in the corresponding fixture.

"We're getting closer to the game that the fans see as their most important game of the season," Simpson told Derby's official club website.

"Last year we dealt with it very, very well and hopefully we can deal with it just as well this year.

"Maybe it would be a bit naive to think that it will be the same result, but if we can get the same level of performance, same commitment that we had at Ipswich, then we won't go far wrong."

Forest have not won any of their previous eight games, and reports have suggested that Stuart Pearce could be sacked if Derby are victorious on Saturday.