De Laet Ready For Derby

The King Power Stadium clash on Friday night sees the two top scoring teams in the league locks horns for the third time this season – City having emerged victorious on the previous two occasions.

But this time they meet a Rams side undergoing a revival under new boss Steve McClaren, and De Laet wants to give City the best chance of winning by keeping what would be the Foxes’ eighth clean sheet of the campaign.

De Laet, who is now at full fitness after returning from a shin injury, told Foxes Player: “The results in the league have been really good over the last five games, and we’ve been rotating the squad too so that we can go into this game fresh.

“We’re all professionals and here to do our jobs. We train every day and it won’t be a problem whoever plays.

“It took me one or two games to get back to match fitness but I think I’m there now and I’m enjoying my football again.

“Whenever Derby come to our ground it’s a special occasion for the fans, but this time they’re up there in the league, as are we, so it’s going to be a good game.”

The Rams currently sit fourth in the table, behind Queens Park Rangers, Burnley and City, who are four clear at the top, but De Laet is well aware of their threats, particularly going forward.

He added: “I think they’ve got goals in their team for one and they keep the back door shut too. We went there earlier in the season though and kept a clean sheet and won 1-0, so we just have to do that again – keep a clean sheet and score a goal.

“Last year we had loads of clean sheets, but just didn’t get there (promotion), but this year we’ve been conceding goals and we’re top of the league, so it’s a weird one.

“We as defenders and as a unit, want to keep clean sheets, because that puts less pressure on the strikers to score just one goal.

“It’s still a hard league, it was last season, it is this season, we just have to keep our nerve and carry on.

“Everybody wants to beat you and everybody wants to be in the spot where you are at the moment, but as long as we keep getting the results I’m sure we’ll be fine.”