The atmosphere will be as intense as usual but the two sets of supporters will make their way to the stadium in vastly contrasting moods with Derby being the Championship’s form team over the past ten games and the Reds desperately searching both for goals and wins.
Dougie Freedman has maintained a consistent line in his post-match interviews of praise for his team and a belief that a change of luck is due.
Away from the matchday environment he has reiterated the need for stability at the club and a change from the consistent hiring and firing that has marked the past few years with all of the associated player and financial turmoil that goes with it.
His upbeat mask did not slip when asked about the prospect of facing Derby in their current form, saying: "Thank God! I really want this game to come along.
"I want it to be a big occasion, on Sky, I want to show everybody how well we're playing. Hopefully we can play as well as we did tonight and I'm very convinced we'll get the win.
"This is exactly what we need - we need these big occasions, we need to put in the spotlight and see who's up for this challenge."