It is the first fixture that many Burton Albion fans will have looked for when the Championship schedule was released back in June.
Perhaps more than any other, it is the game that sums up how far Burton Albion have travelled in reaching the second tier, even if the 1500 away supporters at Pride Park on Saturday had less than 20 miles to journey from the Pirelli Stadium.
It certainly provided some unforgettable moments last season.
But for all that, it was also a match that reminded Burton just how ruthless this division can be.
They have had a few of those so far this season.
This performance did not warrant a defeat for Nigel Clough's men.
They were brave, well-organised and tireless in their efforts to keep an exciting Derby County forward line quiet, while showing more of an attacking threat than they did when drawing 0-0 in the corresponding clash in February.
For 81 minutes, it seemed set to earn them another reward on the road.
Let-offs do not come easily in the Championship, though, especially against a side who can bring the likes of Johnny Russell and Sam Winnall off the bench.
In the end, it was Russell who struck the decisive, gut-wrenching blow, capitalising on an errant touch from Matt Palmer inside his own box to rifle the loose ball past Stephen Bywater.
It was harsh on Palmer, who had played well all afternoon and who was apparently quick to put his hand up to the error when back in the Albion dressing room after the game.
Palmer's composure playing out from the back had been an important release for the Brewers for much of the game - he looked the most likely to spark something from deep as Burton looked to hit the Rams on the counter.
But as Clough pointed out afterwards, every slip that Albion make at the moment is getting punished and is proving far too costly.
With the quality they are coming up against, they can expect that to continue unless they cut out their errors.
Despite the result - and with it sending Burton to the foot of the Championship table, it is hard to dismiss it - this was another display that suggested Clough's side will enjoy a more fruitful time on their Championship travels than last season.
That is not what where the main concerns are at the moment.
Again, they continued in a 5-4-1 formation at Pride Park, with their two changes coming in the defensive line.
John Brayford was one of four former Derby players to be named in Albion's starting XI, making his first appearance since suffering a hamstring strain in the 2-0 loss at Nottingham Forest on October 21.
His presence at right-back was immediately noticeable. The first three Rams corners of the game were powered clear via the head of the committed defender, and his link-up play with right-winger Lucas Akins promised much, although the hosts dealt with any threats and deliveries from that flank.
The other returning player for Clough's side was Jake Buxton, who slotted into the heart of the Burton defence, between Tom Naylor and Ben Turner, with Tom Flanagan at left-back.
Buxton's best performances since coming back for a second spell at the Pirelli have come on the road, and the central trio combined well to nullify the likes of Chris Martin, Andreas Weimann and the in-form Matej Vydra.
Derby's Tom Lawrence looked the most likely to unlock the dogged Burton rearguard in the first half, with his direct running causing problems and occasionally dragging Albion players out of position.
On one occasion, he and Vydra linked well, with the Wales international drilling a low ball across the face of Stephen Bywater's goal but just too far ahead of club and international teammate Joe Ledley.
Bywater's busiest moment before the break came from his own player, though.
Turner stuck out a leg to block an incoming cross, but could only divert it back across his goalkeeper.
It was heading towards the bottom right corner of the goal, had Bywater not sprung well into its path to tip it off target.
Further upfield, Burton's four-man midfield of Akins, Luke Murphy, Palmer and Will Miller were asked to run plenty, tracking back to cover and then springing forward to push themselves upfield when Derby's deep-lying George Thorne and Ledley got on the ball.
Marvin Sordell was again tasked with doing the front running by himself, often feeding off scraps and unable to shake off the attentions of Curtis Davies and Richard Keogh.
As solid as Burton are on at the road at the moment, they are struggling to produce enough quality in the final third to get themselves into winning positions.
They enjoyed periods around Derby's goal in both halves of the match, but Rams keeper Scott Carson was only tested sporadically, and they did not always look after the ball enough.
Palmer struck a low, stinging shot through a glut of bodies that was well saved, while Turner - one of the Brewers' top scorers in the league - looked to have broken the deadlock around the hour mark when he looped a header over Carson and back across goal from Palmer's corner, only for Weimann to get up and nod it clear off the line.
If that had gone in, Albion might just have had enough to hang on for a famous win.
Derby threatened best when the game was broken up, and Burton allowed that to happen less and less as the game ticked on, the all-round command of Murphy in midfield again playing its part.
In true Burton fashion, bodies were thrown in the way to frustrate the home side's ambition, and Derby’s frustration grew.
On the occasions they were breached, the impressive Bywater was down well to deny Lawrence and Weimann.
The irony is that Derby's match-winning goal came from a Bywater save.
Martin's near-post effort was beaten away by the former Rams stopper, with the rebound bouncing out to Palmer.
He looked to take that steadying touch before launching a clearance upfield.
He would never get that chance to clear, though, as Russell - signed by Clough in 2013 - sensed his moment and raced onto the ball in mid-air before powering it past Bywater.
There was one final sniff for the visitors as they looked for a response, but Akins could not convert a volley as a loose ball dropped to him in the Derby box.
Instead, the Brewers suffered their 12th defeat of the campaign from 20 games.
It dropped them to the foot of the table following Bolton Wanderers' 3-1 win over Barnsley, although they are still only two points adrift of safety ahead of Birmingham City's clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday.
They return to home soil to take on Preston North End next weekend.
That, ultimately, is where the future of Albion's Championship status lies, and even at this stage, it looks an important fixture before back-to-back away games at Bolton and Reading.
While their unbeaten run against Derby disappeared on Saturday, there was still evidence of a team that will prove difficult to break down on the road for the remainder of the campaign.
But with six successive defeats at the Pirelli Stadium, those away performances, full of character as they are, will count for little if things do not turn around closer to home.
That will be their aim on Saturday, once they have picked themselves up from this sickener of a loss against their nearest neighbours.
