Image source, .

There are intriguing battles everywhere on the pitch of course, but Roy McFarland against Stan Collymore is going to be key. McFarland racked up a seriously impressive 442 appearances for the Rams in two spells between 1967 and 1984.

The stats show he’d be worth just over £20m in today’s transfer market, with a good touch and decent passing making him the perfect ball-playing defender.

He’s got fantastic determination and workrate, too. This contest is mouthwatering everywhere you look.

Image source, .

45 goals in 77 appearances tells you the kind of scoring prowess Stan Collymore brought to Forest when he played for them in the mid-1990s.

Our computerised version has Collymore with a finishing rating of 18 (out of 20), great speed and good strength in the air.

He fancies his chances too. He was on Twitter earlier, he claimed Forest would romp this.

Image source, BBC Sport

Let's find out a little bit more about one of the key battles...

Andrew Mogg: Leaving out Dave Mackay and Daryl Powell? At least we've Alan Hinton in the team.

Jack Ryan: Stan Collymore hat-trick surely!

Robert Stone: Bloomer v Collymore? Got to be a Derby win.

A reminder of the line-ups shortly...

Image source, Rex Features

After short spells in charge of Brighton and Leeds, Brian Clough found himself back in the East Midlands and back in the Second Division with Nottingham Forest in 1975.

What followed was one of football's greatest fairy tales.

1977: Promoted to the First Division. 1978: First Division champions. 1979: European Cup winners. 1980: European Cup winners.

Add in four League Cup wins and a Uefa Super Cup success, and it's not a bad roll call of honours for Forest under Clough during his 18-year reign at the City Ground.

Image source, Rex Features

Brian Clough took charge of Derby in 1967, with the Rams in the Second Division.

Within five years, they were champions of England.

Derby also reached the last four of the European Cup in 1973 under Clough and assistant Peter Taylor, losing to Juventus in a controversial semi-final.

The pair left Derby later that year, but would be reunited a few miles down the road in Nottingham...

Only a select few have an impact on a football club so grand that they're deemed worthy enough of a statue to celebrate their achievements.

Brian Clough did it more than once...

Image source, Rex Features

Image source, Rex Features

... but expect those friendly smiles to disappear by 17:30 GMT, when local pride will be at stake.

And there's more pressure on Derby boss Craig Ramage and Forest manager Brian Laws, as they have a very tough act to follow....

Of course, #TheUltimateDerby is part of the build-up to Saturday's main event - Derby County v Nottingham Forest in the Championship.

Derby, who appointed Harry Redknapp as a football advisor on Wednesday, have slipped a little way away from the top two but still have hopes of automatic promotion. In truth, anything but a repeat of last season's collapse to obscurity will be welcomed by most Derby fans.

Mid-table Forest are looking for yet another new manager after sacking Dougie Freedman last Sunday. Paul Williams is in charge for the remainder of the season and drew his first game at Hull on Tuesday.

Image source, Rex Features

Forest won the reverse fixture 1-0 in November - can they complete a league double? Follow live text coverage on the BBC Sport website from 12:00 GMT on Saturday, while you can also listen to live commentary on BBC Radio Derby and BBC Radio Nottingham.

Thomas Payne: Much more confident of a win tonight in the simulated #TheUltimateDerby than I am for Saturday. Going for 4-1 to Forest.

Baz Cooper: That #NFFC team would absolutely pulverise Derby to within an inch of its life.

Plenty are predicting a Forest win - what do you think? Get in touch using #TheUltimateDerby on Twitter.

Derby boss Craig Ramage has had plenty of sleepless nights selecting his side, but he's happy with the final outcome:

"There were some really tough decisions - not least leaving out Dave Mackay. The players I have had to leave out is pretty scary - it's frightening.

"Forest have a strong squad too but we are confident. Ours is more of a mix-and-match line-up from different periods in our history but I could not look too far beyond the two title-winning teams from the 1970s.

"Hopefully I can sit back, relax and watch Brian Laws squirm."

Running things for the Rams is Derby-born, Derby-bred Craig Ramage.

He is a man who knows exactly what the Forest-Derby derby means to the locals.

Here is a fresh-faced Craig (left) pictured with some fellow Rams trainees circa 1986. Awww, bless. 

Image source, Rex Features

The goalscoring midfielder spent six years with his hometown club, making more than 50 appearances and scoring seven goals.

But two serious injuries marred his time, and Derby's big spending in the early 1990s injuries meant he went on to make his name as a goalscoring midfielder with Watford.

Forest boss Brian Laws: "There is plenty of quality there. There are two eras of real success. Hopefully we can amalgamate that together.

"It will be a very mixed style. There is brutality with Burns, Anderson could be a brute at times, and we have Keane and Pearce.

"Then we have the craft of Clough and the pace and power of Collymore. It's a team that can be solid but has flair and attacking prowess too. I fancy our chances."

Taking charge of Forest is Brian Laws, a man who knows plenty about playing at the top level.

Image source, Getty Images

The defender's six seasons and 212 appearances at the City Ground brought two League Cup wins, three further Wembley final appearances, and a heap of memories from playing under Brian Clough.

Not surprisingly, there were a few of his former team-mates in the line-up for today's meeting.

Stan Collymore, who will be starting up front for Forest in today's game, is in confident mood ahead of kick-off...

BBC Radio Derby, BBC Radio Nottingham and East Midlands Today will have regular updates of the match, which kicks off at 17:30 GMT.

Watch or listen by clicking on the Live Coverage tab at the top of the page.

You all know someone who's taken Harrogate Town to Champions League glory, signed Lionel Messi for Barnet or taken their role so seriously that they've suited up to manage their team in a big cup final.

That person may even be you.

Image source, Getty Images

The game has made unlikely stars of players who didn't quite make the grade in real life - who didn't try to sign Freddy Adu, Cherno Samba, Tonton Zola Moukoko and Mark Kerr for their team in earlier editions?

Any unusual Football Manager tales you wish to tell us about? Get in touch using #TheUltimateDerby on Twitter.

Image source, Rex Features

But how? 

Well, computer gaming has come a long way since Brian Clough was managing many of our legends for real.

The brainchild of brothers Paul and Oliver Collyer, Football Manager began life as Championship Manager in 1992. Since then, football management simulators have become an integral part of our beautiful game.

Because, let's face it, we all think we can be football managers. We all think we can do better than the professionals. And now many have had the chance to try...

So our line-ups are in - who would you have selected in your legends team? And who are you backing for glory?

Get in touch using #TheUltimateDerby on Twitter and we'll use some of your replies in this live text commentary.

Image source, BBC Sport

Derby manager Craig Ramage has made the brave decision to leave out Dave Mackay.

It's a huge call, that. But it just goes to show the defensive strength at his disposal as he is able to select a team that is understandably still dominated by the sides that delivered two league titles in the 1970s.

The vastly experienced Steve Bloomer gets the nod up front. I imagine Dean Saunders will be furious about being overlooked.

But Bloomer's goals record speaks for itself. He was the Rams' top scorer for 14 seasons in a row.