This weekend's Sky Bet Championship action kicks off with a bang tonight as Nottingham Forest host East Midland rivals Derby County at 7:30pm.
Forest have the upper hand in the history books with 38 wins over the years, to Derby's 34, but the Rams are flying under Paul Clement, ahead of the manager's first East Midlands derby.Contrasting fortunes
The two sides enter the match in contrasting form. Derby are unbeaten in their last 10 matches, winning last time out against Queens Park Rangers 1-0. Another Rams victory would see them go top of the table ahead of Saturday's action.
On the other hand, Forest find themselves down in 19th and with no wins in their previous eight games. They lost 1-0 to Preston North End last time out and haven't won at the City Ground since the opening day of the season.
POLL: It's East Midlands derby day! Which team do you want to win tonight - @Official_NFFC or @dcfcofficial?
— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) November 6, 2015After coaching stints with Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, Clement took his first managerial job with the Rams, and is taking the transition in his stride.
The 43-year-old has been nominated for the last two Manager of the Month awards in the division, with his men going unbeaten through September and October.
The last time Clement's side suffered a reverse was way back in August when they lost 2-1 to Leeds United, with Chris Wood scoring a late winner.
What they're saying
Ahead of tonight's match, Clement told Rams Player: “Like any big derby game, I know it's important to the fans. It's a game we are really looking forward to and we're preparing well.
“The game is another challenge for us. We're in a good run of form and that's pleasing. We really want to keep going. Nottingham Forest create a lot of chances and they're very dangerous. We will have to defend well against them at the City Ground.”
Forest manager Dougie Freedman believes that tonight's match could be pivotal to his men.
“It'll give a huge confidence boost to the players – and to the forwards if they can score some goals – so it'll be worth more than three points,” he told Forest Player.
“It's a game we need and one we've been looking forward to for the last few weeks now. We've been playing some fantastic football and just need to make sure we put the ball in the back of the net.”
Don't miss it!
Coverage begins at 7pm on Sky Sports 1, with kick-off 30 minutes later, and you can also keep up to date with the East Midlands derby on Twitter, by following our divisional Twitter feed - @SkyBetChamp.