Craig Ramage believes the way Derby County knocked Leeds United out in the playoffs last season will have left permanent scars on the players at Elland Road.
Derby lost the first leg of the playoff semi-final at Pride Park, but spectacularly turned the tables on Leeds in the return leg when they ran out 4-2 winners on the night and 4-3 winners on aggregate.
Leeds, who finished third, had been expected to make short work of the Rams, but Marcelo Bielsa's side were left to rue missed opportunities.
Ramage believes Leeds are in a good place to go again in the promotion hunt this term, but ahead of Derby's visit to Elland Road this weekend, insists that scars have been left by the Rams' last visit.
He wrote in his Derby Telegraph column: "The experience and the hurt from last season will hold them in good stead. They should have the know-how to have a really big season.
"Will revenge be on their mind given what happened in May? Absolutely.
"If I put my footballer head on, the hurt they would have gone through that night when we ended their promotion hopes will have left its scars.
"They thought they had won that play-off tie. They were 1-0 up from the first leg and then scored first in the second leg to make it 2-0 on aggregate.
"Nobody could have predicted the turnaround that followed especially as Leeds had taken our scalp three times already during the season."
Ramage believes the manner of Derby's against-all-odds win at Leeds last time must give the current crop encouragement ahead of this weekend's game.
"It was a massive ask, but we did it, and this is why the current team can take some belief going into Saturday's game.
"Yes, it has been a poor start to the season, but things can happen in football, anything can happen.
"These are the kind of games that can turn your season.
"No-one is giving us a chance – I'm not sure I am, to be honest – but you never know", he added.
Derby have not managed a win in their last six games across all competitions, losing three and drawing three, and are big underdogs to get a result at Leeds.
