Clinton and Trump line up for one last assault in final debate

How fitting it is that Las Vegas will play host on Wednesday night to the culmination of one of the most hotly-contested elections the US has ever seen - the 2016 presidential race.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will take to the stage on Wednesday night at the University of Nevada, hoping to stage one last performance which will leave the crowds begging for more.

Thus far, the race for the White House has been characterised more by the blows that the adversaries from the Republican and Democratic parties have thrown at each other, rather than the inspiration produced by their own policy plans.

If the first debate in New York in September was prickly, then the second in St.Louis was downright nasty, as Clinton attacked Trump over his distasteful comments in the Billy Bush tapes, and the billionaire responded with more allegations about her husband's own lewd past.

The controversy surrounding the Republican nominee's boasts of inappropriate sexual behaviour has crowded out the various Wikileaks revelations concerning Clinton's campaign, and the former Secretary of State has surged into a lead in ther majority of national polls.

Plenty can still happen over the course of the next three weeks which could turn the race in Trump's favour, but he needs to claim a resounding victory in Las Vegas tonight to give himself a realistic chance.

Chris Wallace of Fox News will moderate the debate in what is seen as an early plus point for Trump, and the format will be broadly the same as those which preceded it.

The six topics down for discussion are debt and entitlements, immigration, the economy, the Supreme Court, foreign hot spots and candidates' fitness to be president.

Wallace will have an arduous task on his hands attempting to maintain order and keeping the candidates to those six themes, as Trump is likely to go for broke in a last-ditch attempt to disrupt Clinton's momentum.

He has become more and more desperate since the Access Hollywood scandal broke, appearing to single out scapegoats for a defeat rather than winning votes. He has even claimed the election will be rigged against him.

Clinton herself could be looking further ahead than the November 8 election, perhaps making the first steps towards unifying an intensely divided county, considering the confidence she must have of winning.

However, a cautious approach from the Democrat may be what's called for this evening.

In a race that has provided a plethora of plot twists, the audience could well be about to receive a cliffhanger finale.