Derby County goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom names key factor which can help his side beat Portsmouth

Derby County goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom said he was delighted to keep a clean sheet against Burnley and hailed his team’s performance in midweek as they ended a four-match losing streak in the Championship.

Tuesday’s 0-0 draw marked Zetterstrom’s fourth clean sheet since arriving at Pride Park from Swedish top-flight side Djurgården over the summer. He describes the result as huge for morale, which he claims will be a crucial factor heading into tonight’s crunch match against a resurgent Portsmouth if the Rams are to achieve another positive result.

Zetterstrom told Rams TV: “Well, first of all, I'm very happy with the result. It's always nice to get a clean sheet and to do that at a very tough place like Burnley was pleasing. Every point is important and to get that performance away from home in such a tough place is extremely important, not just for the points taken but also for the morale and the team spirit it creates.

“Looking at it performance-wise, I think it was just an amazing team effort from the entire group. We did an amazing job defensively and also created enough chances to actually get something there as well.”

Derby currently sit in 17th position, leaving them four clear of the drop zone after a difficult spell which has seen the team win two of their last 16 matches. Zetterstrom has highlighted the importance of the home match against Portsmouth at Pride Park and has claimed that December has the potential to be a really productive month if his side can turn good performances into results.

He added: “It’s an important game. We've all seen the league table, there are a lot of teams with the same number of points, and every single point gained is absolutely crucial.

“We did well on Tuesday against Burnley, and I believe we can continue on that trend. We did a great job against Leeds as well, against a side that is very good, despite losing 2-0. We improved further against Burnley and got a point there. If we can continue with that then, the remaining games in December can be very fun. Obviously, to get three points against Portsmouth this Friday is what we want to try to start with.”

Paul Warne’s side drew both of their games against Portsmouth last season en route to automatic promotion and a second place finish.

He adds that being clinical in the final third will be vital against a very strong Pompey team.

Warne said: “I don't think the performances have changed greatly from the start of the season. I feel we've been really good in every game at home. We've been proud of how the lads played but have just been disappointed with some of the results.

“My attitude hasn't changed about our performance levels. It's much nicer to walk around the pitch at the end of the match when we've won, everyone's in it to win and we're in it to entertain the fans. We don't have to go a million miles away from what we've been doing. We just have to take our chances when we’re on top. And, again, it's a really good Portsmouth team we are up against.”