Exclusive: Pundit eases Derby County fear as huge Preston North End match looms | OneFootball

Joe Jacobson believes that Derby shouldn't be pressured to win this Wednesday at Pride Park

After winning three on the bounce, many felt that the March international break came at a bad time for Derby County.

However, John Eustace's Rams were handed a small piece of fortune a couple of weeks before the weekend off after Preston North End progressed to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, meaning that their first game back after the break would be postponed.

Whilst this meant that Derby would have to wait even longer to see if they could win a fourth straight league game for the first time since March last year, it allowed for any internationals returning to the club to get some extra rest before heading into the final weeks of the season.

Additionally, it meant that the clubs around Derby played first and, whilst only two sides in the bottom nine failed to pick up points this weekend, it put the Rams in a position where a win against Preston this coming Wednesday would see them climb out of the relegation zone.

However, according to former Wycombe Wanderers full-back and now EFL pundit, Joe Jacobson, in an exclusive interview with Football League World, Derby shouldn't be treating this midweek clash as a must-win.

Derby County still have a great chance to secure survival, even if they lose against Preston North End

Joe Jacobson does not fear for Derby County in the current relegation battle, even if they do lose on Wednesday against fallen FA Cup quarter-finalists Preston North End.

"They're in great form, winning their last three games, and I do think the international break did come at a bad time for them," he exclusively told FLW.

"But I don't see this as a be-all or end-all for them," he admitted. "It's almost a free hit, having a game in hand and being only two points behind the safety places."

Additionally, with three of their final four games seeing Derby face two of the current four sides who accompany them in the bottom five, Jacobson believes that there are plenty of opportunities left for the Rams to pick up points, so the panic button shouldn't be pressed if they were to taste defeat against Preston.

"They still have some winnable games and the potential to pick up a lot of points between now and the end of the season, so [a loss] against Preston won't affect them."

Win for Derby will spell danger for other relegation-threatened sides

However, Joe Jacobson backs Derby County to continue their good run of form through the final months of the season if they were to pick up a big win against Preston.

"If they do win, then they'll become the team that other teams around will look at and think that they will stay up because they've got the new manager, the new buzz around them, and they're winning games, which is the most important thing," Jacobson concluded.

With Preston ten points off of a play-off place, many feel that a late top-six push may be out of the question. If this is the case, then a home game against a side suffering from a potential cup hangover with nothing to play for in the league may give Derby fans some hope that they can continue their winning run.

If they do win, then they'll climb out of the bottom three for the first time since mid-February.