An intense atmosphere awaits at the City Ground as Leicester meet Steve Cooper's Sky Bet Championship outfit in the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup. The Foxes are the competition holders and defeated Watford in the third round to reach this stage. Forest, meanwhile, overcame Arsenal.
It's a first clash with Forest in eight years, a period which has included Leicester lifting the Premier League title and playing in European competitions, but Rodgers is well aware of the task at hand this weekend. The Northern Irishman, though, is excited by the challenge which the tie poses.
"With some of the other clubs I've been at, there have been some massive derby games, so when this came up, I was really looking forward to it," he said. "It's been a while since both clubs have played. I haven't been back at the City Ground since I was there with Swansea in the play-off semi-finals.
"It's a great stadium so it should be a brilliant atmosphere. It'll be a tough game for us because they've done very, very well. Steve's gone in there and done a brilliant job along with Alan Tate, who was a player for me at Swansea City. It's going to be a real top examination for us.
"You've seen their result in the last round. It's a game we look forward to. It's a game for the supporters. We'll go there and look to attack the game and hopefully continue on our journey in the FA Cup. You can't shy away from it. You can't underplay it. It's a derby game. It's an FA Cup game.
"We're the current holders so we've got to go there and look to play football to the level we know we can play. At the same time, you have to keep that temperament. You have to keep control of that emotion to allow you to play your football, but most important for us is to play with intensity."
Even for the neutral, it promises to be a thrilling tie in Nottingham this weekend. It sees the holders tackle the side who defeated 14-time FA Cup winners Arsenal in the last round. Rodgers admits he has spoken privately with the players about the importance of controlling their emotions.
"It's a great fixture, I've got to say," the Foxes manager added. "We want to fight to win this competition again. We fought so hard last season. It was such a memorable, iconic win for us. We want that feeling again. You know in this tournament, to win it, you're going to have to really dig deep.
"You're going to have to perform well and we know we have to do that against Nottingham Forest because they're a good side. Steve has galvanised the team and they play mostly out of the same structure. They're very well coached, you can see that, and they've got some talented players.
"We know we have to play a really good game to get into the next round. We've played in intense atmospheres a number of times, but of course, this is a derby game. They're always a little bit special, especially for some of our younger guys who have come through the Academy.
"Playing against Nottingham Forest will always be special games for them. We spoke about it this morning, the importance of that. You can't go into these games and be caught from the off. You have to be ready. I've been involved in enough derby games to understand the magnitude of them.
"Especially away from home, you need that mentality to compete, to fight, to win and to battle, and then of course, you look for your quality to come through. It's important for many reasons, of course for the supporters, because you want to make them proud as well."
Since Cooper's appointment at the City Ground in September, Forest have climbed the Championship standings, rising from the relegation places into play-off contention. Rodgers, who has worked with the former Swansea City manager before, is not surprised by the nature of his impact.
"I've got a lot time for Steve," he explained. "We worked together when he was at Liverpool and I was there. I've seen him progress through when he took the young England teams. He did very, very well. We made contact when he was at Swansea, through our history and both having worked there.
"I think he's adapted and coped tremendously well. He's an excellent coach and, now becoming a manager, there's obviously a different skillset with that. He's very ably assisted by Alan Tate. He was a brilliant player for me and a real leader. Both of them have gone there and done a fantastic job.
"They've brought an attacking idea to the team. They've got some really, really gifted players. They're well coached, you can see that. I've been really, really impressed by Steve since he's become a manager and he'll go on and do great things as a manager, I'm sure."
Following the Premier League's winter break, it promises to be an eventful few months for the Foxes. As well as competing in the league and the FA Cup, they also have a two-legged tie with Danish side Randers FC on the horizon in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The ambition, though, remains the same for Rodgers – finishing as high as possible in the Premier League and competing for honours.
"It's always to finish as high as we possibly can," the 49-year-old said. "It was a huge testament to the players over these last couple of years that we've been challenging for those top-four positions. This season, that's been a real challenge for us because of the people we've had missing.
"The truth is we've not got a squad that carries the depth and the quality of a lot of the ones that are up and around that area. For us, we need to have our best players available to challenge, but I've been enthused this year by the introductions of some of our younger players.
"The likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, seeing his progression, Luke Thomas, he's a young player who's gaining experience and playing with no fear. That's been exciting for us. We obviously want to be challenging in cup competitions and to finish as high in the league as we can.
"There's still a lot to play for in the second part of the season and that makes me really happy. It starts at the weekend."