Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood tells Sky Sports:

"We want to put some pressure on them from the word go. We want to get the ball forward.

"We know how much this means to the supporters here, and it means a lot to me.

"We will sooner or later get the rub of the green."

Deepak Mahay
BBC Sport at Villa Park

Image source, Deepak Mahay

Don't forget, we've got another seven League Cup third round games for you this evening including all Premier League affairs with Sunderland v Manchester City and Leicester v West Ham.

Click here for live text commentary and radio commentary from selected games if that takes your fancy.

Meanwhile, we've got about 10 minutes before things get under way at Villa Park.

Historically, Birmingham's greatest win over Villa came over two legs, in the 1963 League Cup final, which Blues won 3-1 on aggregate, to lift their first major trophy at the home of their local rivals.

But perhaps their best run of results in the second city derby came in their first three seasons in the Premier League, when Blues won four of their first six Premier League meetings with Villa.

A Peter Enckelman own goal helped then newly-promoted Birmingham win 3-0 at St Andrew's on 16 September 2002, in what was the first game between the sides for nearly 19 years.

Image source, Empics

Blues then won 2-0 at Villa Park to complete a famous double, before a last-gasp equaliser from Stern John in a 2-2 draw at Villa Park the following season helped the Blue half of the city keep the bragging rights for a little while longer.  

Aston Villa have won six of their last nine meetings with Birmingham.

Arguably their sweetest derby-day win in the Premier League era was a 5-1 thrashing of the Blues on 20 April 2008, including a brace from Ashley Young. Birmingham were relegated just a few weeks later.

Image source, Getty Images

Going back a bit, over two legs, Villa beat Birmingham 7-0 on aggregate in this competition in the 1988-89 season, and going back a bit further, enjoyed a 4-0 away over Blues in the old First Division in 1931.

They also won 7-3 at home in 1895 - the highest-scoring encounter between these two teams.

The last time these two teams met in the League Cup, in 2010-11, Birmingham City went on to win the trophy.

It was a heated quarter-final on a bitterly cold night at St Andrew's which saw Nikola Zigic's late winner settle a relatively even game.

The match was tarnished by ugly scenes after the final whistle, with both sets of fans throwing items at one another amid what then-Birmingham boss Alex McLeish called a return to the "dark ages" of English football.

Image source, Getty Images

Martin O'Connor
former Birmingham captain on BBC WM 95.6

Birmingham also make three changes to their side, with defender Neal Eardley having dislocated his shoulder in Friday's 1-1 draw at Ipswich.

Paul Caddis comes back in for him at right-back, while the other changes see Jacques Maghoma replace David Cotterill and David Davis comes into midfield instead of Andrew Shinnie.

Image source, BBC Sport

Brian Little
ex-Aston Villa player & manager on BBC WM 95.6

Aston Villa have made three changes to the side that lost 1-0 at home to West Bromwich Albion at the weekend.

Jack Grealish, Carles Gil and Carlos Sanchez all miss out, with Jordan Veretout, Leandro Bacuna and Rudy Gestede all coming in to the starting team.

As the build-up to kick-off continues, we want to hear from you.

Please do get in touch and tell us your favourite derby memories, whether it be Gabby Agbonlahor's late header giving Villa victory at St Andrew's or perhaps Birmingham winning at Villa Park after Dion Dublin was sent off.

Get involved using #bbcfootball on Twitter.

Premier League Aston Villa may hold the edge in the head-to-head record, with 51 wins to Birmingham's 38, but it is the Championship side who arrive at tonight's game in the better form in recent months.

Tim Sherwood's Villa have won only one of their last 10 games, going back to the end of last season.

In contrast, Gary Rowett's Blues have won eight of their last 12 matches.

Image source, Getty Images

Tonight there is far, far more at stake than a place in the fourth round of the League Cup.

This is Aston Villa against Birmingham City - the first meeting between two of the fiercest rivals in British football for nearly five years.

This is about bragging rights and local pride. Who wants it more?

And with the two teams currently in different divisions, who knows when they will meet again?

Welcome to our live text coverage of the 121st second city derby.

Image source, Empics