Early yellow card for Forest's Jonathan WIlliams, who takes a very theatrical tumble in the Derby penalty area.

And after a minute's silence for Remembrance Day we're under way.

The teams are out. Nottingham Forest's pre-match anthem Mull of Kintyre has been heartily sang. 

Try telling Forest fans about now they are not going to win this. With an atmosphere like this, you can see why that formbook chat we have been talking about always crops up around derby time.

Image source, BBC Sport

Subs: Grant, Bryson, Bent, Baird, Butterfield, Pearce, Ince.

Image source, BBC Sport

Subs: Evtimov, Wilson, Trotter, Blackstock, C.Burke, Osborn, Walker.

Other special derby phrases that always get get too much airtime around these games and rival the "formbook" one (see 16:34 entry) include talk of "bragging rights", "blood and thunder" and "more than just three points".

But recent history suggest there's a lot of truth in the feisty chat. The last nine games between the sides have seen six red cards.

Thankfully there also normally goals. In fact, the last 20 matches have seen 60. There was a famous 5-2 home win at The City Ground a few years back, and a 5-0 drubbing dished out by Derby at their place in March 2014.

Image source, BBC Sport

Derby County head coach Paul Clement is unlikely to be fazed by his first involvement in a Forest-Derby tussle. He has the small matter of experiencing the Real Madrid v Barcelona fixture in his previous life as Real assistant boss.

*Understatement alert... "That is a really ferocious derby," said Clement referring to the El Clasico.

"Forest-Derby is more than just a three-point game because there is the bragging rights and the passion.

"There is going to be a lot of passion, particularly at the start and it is going to be really important for us to finish with 11 players."

Image source, Getty Images

There's been all sort of chat that the Dougie Freedman is going to be sacked. If you believe the rumours, a deal with Nigel Clough/Dan Petrescu/Nigel Pearson/*insert name here is already signed.

But the Forest boss has insisted he is not feeling the pressure.

He told BBC Radio Nottingham: "There will not be anybody who puts more pressure on me than myself. All I can do is my best and prepare a committed team that is competitive and that is what we have been achieving.

"This is also an opportunity for players to turn what is a difficult moment in to a good time and a good win. Although results aren't going our way, it's still early in the season."

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest made a fine start to last season but the long-term injury to Britt Assombalonga cost them their key striker and stacks of goals. Had Assombalonga stayed fit then maybe things would have been different.

Derby's main man up front Chris Martin was also injured towards the end of last season and, although he came back for the run-in, the points dropped ultimately cost the Rams a play-off place.

Forest are still struggling for goals, with just 11 scored in the league all season. How they could do with Assombalonga or the experience of Matty Fryatt. With limited attacking options, expect the Reds to keep things tight tonight.

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forestmake three changes from the side that lost to Preston on Tuesday - and all three are in central midfield.

Experience clearly counts so Henri Lansbury, Jonathan Williams and David Vaughan come in for Ben Osborn, Liam Trotter and Jorge Grant.

Derby County also make a couple of changes from their game on Tuesday, restoring George Thorne to the midfield after suspension.

Jacob Butterfield drops to the bench, with the only other change an enforced one.Craig Forsyth is out for the season with a knee injuryso Stephen Warnock starts.

So #myfirstderby.It's Dougie Freedman's Forest-Derby debut as a manager - although he did score when he was Forest player in a 2-2 draw in 1998.

And of course it's also Rams head coach Paul Clement's first game against Forest in the dugout. Both have been well aware of the significance of the fixture locally. A good job too.

Former Forest boss Joe Kinnear famously described the match as "just another game", They lost and he was sacked before the next match.

Image source, Getty Images

As derby games go, this is huge. There are plenty that get bigger gates and more attention and have greater significance, but locally - trust me - this is a big, big deal.

As a non-native, now an adopted East Midlander, I soon realised.

Just about the only two words that can calm a Derby and Forest fan are Brian Clough. He's rightly revered at both ends of the A52 (Brian Clough Way). The teams now play for the Brian Clough Trophy. His magnificence is just about the only thing that will ever unite them.

Throughout the past week, BBC East Midlands Sport has been asking you for your first memories of the East Midlands derby, a selection of which we'll be tucking into before kick-off.

If you'd like to get involved too, you can do so by using #myfirstderby on Twitter.

There's also plenty of contributions over on the BBC Derby Sport, external and BBC Nottingham Sport, external Facebook pages for you to enjoy.

Former Forest defender Brian Laws and ex-Derby midfielder Craig Ramage - who both now work for BBC local radio - are just two who have been reminiscing.

So, that form. Or lack of it. The Reds have not won in eight matches, have scored just twice in six games and, after losing to Preston in midweek, have slipped to 19th in the Championship.

The Rams have won eight in ten and are just one point off the top of the table after beating QPR in their last fixture. They will go top tonight if they win.

If ever there was a time Forest needed to hurl that formbook...(sorry)... it is now.

Hello, good evening and welcome. It's derby time. Not Derby time. Well, it might be - especially if the stats and form is anything to go by. 

If you're a Nottingham Forest fan, now just might be the time to roll out the "formbook goes out of the window" cliche - the little gem that is so often repeated when an in-form side faces a spectacularly out-of-form local rival.

Image source, BBC Sport