Championship side Derby County host Premier League champions Leicester City in an East Midlands derby in the fourth round of the FA Cup tonight (7.55pm kick-off).

Steve McClaren’s Rams came from behind to beat top-flight outfit West Brom 2-1 in the last round, and they have also embarked on a fine run of form in the league, having won ten and drawn three of their 16 league matches since McClaren replaced Nigel Pearson as manager back in October.

Thus, the Rams will be very tricky to beat at the iPro Stadium tonight, yet Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes came through a testing encounter in the last round by beating fellow Premier League side Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park.

That was their first domestic away win of the season for the league champions, but back-to-back 3-0 defeats are far from ideal preparation going into tonight’s clash.

In what is the first fixture of the fourth round weekend, it is sure to be an intriguing encounter between these two East Midlands rivals, and we have thus analysed the THREE key battles that could determine the outcome at the iPro this evening…

Richard Keogh vs Jamie Vardy

Ranieri named a strong team for the third round clash at Everton and, with local bragging rights on the line, he may well do the same again at the iPro Stadium on Friday.

Thus, England international Jamie Vardy could lead the line for the Foxes in a bid to reach the last 16, and indeed give them some respite from their frustrating league form.

Vardy himself has struggled to replicate last season’s form this time round, having netted just five league goals thus far, yet he has the pace and tenacity to get at a Derby defence that don’t concede too many at home.

The Rams have conceded just seven goals at the iPro in the Championship this season, and Richard Keogh deserves some credit for that fine defensive record after several solid performances this term.

The 30-year-old has been particularly strong in recent weeks, and if McClaren is to play a strong side, you’d expect him to be in it.

Nonetheless, there won’t be many, if any, Championship forwards as talented, as quick, or as agile as Vardy, so how well Keogh is able to marshal and frustrate him will be key if Derby want to progress to round five.

Tom Ince vs Ben Chilwell

Tom Ince is in fine form for Derby, and will cause a struggling Leicester defence no end of problems at the iPro Stadium on Friday.

The 24-year-old has scored five goals and assisted two others in his last ten appearances for the Rams, which has taken his tally to ten goals for the campaign, and just two shy of his best goal-scoring since netting 18 for Blackpool in the 2012/13 season.

These statistics emphasise Ince’s return to form in recent times, and it means that Ben Chilwell, who is likely to come in at left-back, is going to be in for testing evening on Friday.

The young defender played the full 90 minutes and did well against Everton in the previous round, and was then given a Premier League start at home to Chelsea a week later.

The England Under-21 international is pretty quick and solid at the back, but how he deals with Ince’s pace and trickery down the Derby right will have a big say on the outcome of Friday’s match.

It should be an interesting battle between two promising England youngsters.

Darren Bent vs Wes Morgan

Having played over 1150 career games between them, the battle between Darren Bent and Wes Morgan will likely come down to fine margins, be it an error or a fine piece of skill.

Derby’s Bent has netted three times in his last six appearances for the Rams, including the opener in the 2-1 win over West Brom in the last round, and indeed in the 3-2 victory over Reading in their last Championship outing.

Those three goals equal his tally from last season’s campaign, so he may be beginning to once again find his goal-scoring touch that we associated with him at Ipswich, Charlton, Tottenham, and Sunderland.

However, Leicester captain Morgan proved last season what an excellent defender he is and, although he like many Foxes have struggled this term, he is still a good player, and will know exactly how to deal with Bent should they come face-to-face on Friday.

For a Nottingham boy, 33-year-old Morgan will be well up for the trip to the iPro, and expect his defending and leadership to reflect that.