By Toby Harnden PUBLISHED: 10:25 EST, 10 October 2012 | UPDATED: 07:52 EST, 11 October 2012 Paul Ryan hopes to deliver a knockout blow to President Barack Obama's hopes of re-election if he prevails in tonight's debate in Kentucky. While the Romney campaign has been publicly playing down the chances of Representative Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, scoring a major victory in the vice-presidential debate, privately hopes are high that he could do very well. And if the pictures in the next edition of TIME magazine of the vice-presidential candidate working out in December 2011 are anything to go by, he's pumped up for the 'Thrill in the Ville', in Danville.
@highlight
Expectations are high that Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan will win the debate against Vice President Joe Biden
@highlight
Biden, a senator for 36 years, is a far more experienced debater than Ryan, who is 27 years younger than Biden
@highlight
Republican nominee Mitt Romney is tamping down expectations that Ryan will win the debate to avoid negative fallout if his running mate fails to impress
Charmer: Ryan is widely seen as one of the most intellectually impressive of a new @placeholder generation