Derby County: Jacob Widell Zetterstrom will want to shine in Stoke City game for one big reason | OneFootball

The Rams' goalkeeper is going against his Swedish teammate, the current number one for the country, Viktor Johansson.

Derby County travel to Stoke City at lunchtime on Saturday as they go in search of their first win and clean sheet away from home this season.

Trips away from Pride Park have not yielded great success for the Rams so far this campaign, picking up just two points from their first six matches on the road in 2024/25.

Stalemates against both Millwall and Oxford United gifted Paul Warne's side those points, in games that easily could have seen all three points head back to the East Midlands had some situations perhaps gone their way.

Nevertheless, this weekend is the perfect opportunity for Derby to get that opening win to match the four they have had at home. It will be a difficult game for both sides, but for Rams goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, there may be extra motivation to put in a fantastic performance.

Zetterstrom will want to out-do his Swedish teammate

Derby have come out on top in their last two clashes against Stoke in the Championship, winning 2-1 in both of the meetings in the 2021/22 campaign under the guidance of Wayne Rooney, but three years later, both teams boast very different squads.

Included in those squads are new goalkeepers, and not only are they different from that season, but also from 2023/24.

There will be a very Swedish feel to the bet365 Stadium's six-yard boxes, with the nation's number one and number two goalkeepers lining up for the Potters and the Rams respectively.

Viktor Johansson is currently Jon Dahl Tomasson's first-choice shot-stopper, but he does have a lower save percentage than Zetterstrom, and he has also conceded more goals than his compatriot.

However, he has played two more matches than Derby's 'keeper, and it can be said that the Potters' defence is not as strong as their opponents on Saturday.

But, Zetterstrom's attacking teammates could do him some favours in Staffordshire this weekend, and forcing Johansson into mistakes may just give the 26-year-old the opportunity of starting in Sweden's next two games against Slovakia and Azerbaijan in two weeks' time.

Johansson was on Derby's radar in the summer

While the incentive of winning his national manager's approval will be high, this could be doubled by the fact that Derby did take a reported interest in Johansson in the summer, and Zetterstrom may want to prove why they signed him instead.

Rotherham United saw a lot of teams targeting their goalkeeper following relegation to League One, as it can be said that without his performances last season, the Millers would have been down and out a lot earlier than they were.

The Rams were not able to keep hold of Joe Wildsmith at the end of his contract, and bringing in a new number one was a priority for Warne. While it took some time to sign Zetterstrom, he has been worth the wait, and makes missing out on Johansson not as big as an issue as it could have been.

Derby and Stoke both possess excellent goalkeepers, and while the focus of Saturday will be around the battle for mid-table, the two will be having their own inter-nation battle between them to secure the gloves for Sweden in the upcoming international break.