With Manchester United meeting Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday evening, you could be forgiven for seeing the tie as a potential forgone conclusion.
But as is often the case with football, it is notoriously hard to predict, and with old rivals Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez facing off once more, things could get heated if the Magpies have a solid game plan in place.
With Newcastle suffering from inconsistency, and two disappointing 1-0 losses on the bounce – to Bournemouth and Burnley – Benitez will be keen to keep things tight and simple against Mourinho’s men and grasp a much appreciated point or more against old rivals.
But with United sitting eight points adrift of a rampant Manchester City side, Mourinho will certainly not want his side to be dropping any vital home points against recently promoted opposition.
Here are the individual battles that could decide the game…
3. Romelu Lukaku vs Rob Elliot
While this one can seem pretty obvious, Rob Elliot’s form on the day, whether feeling inspired or not, could be key to the Magpies being able to resist the more than likely barrage of efforts on their goal inside the Theatre of Dreams.
On his day Elliot certainly turns heads with some quite frankly unbelievable feats of last ditch saves, and if he can have one of those days, frustrating the likes of Lukaku while he’s at it then Newcastle could force mistakes out of Mourinho’s side and grab that all important point or three away from home.
2. Isaac Hayden vs Henrikh Mkhitaryan/Juan Mata
With Mkhitaryan and Mata often moving about freely in the final third when it comes to breaking the opposition down, it is very hard to cut the game of the attacking duo but some of the work will fall on the shoulders of hard-working Hayden on Saturday.
Hayden is liked by manager Benitez for putting in some incredibly exhausting shifts in, going back and forwards for the Magpies and he will need to be putting in a monumental effort against the Red Devils’ attacking talent to pacify the danger on Elliot’s goal.
1. Marouane Fellaini vs Jonjo Shelvey
While in a physical battle, Fellaini is a well documented beast in midfield and in the air against any football player in the world. But his work rate and shift in the defensive part of United’s gameplan is what will see midfield success against Newcastle.
While teammate Nemanja Matic will serve a more attacking purpose for the most part, Fellaini will need to be at a sharp level to prevent Shelvey from linking up play to the Magpies attacking foursome, especially on the counter, which Benitez will look to utilise.
The big Belgium will have to be sharp, particularly after his first team return from injury, to impose his usual dominating nature on Newcastle and really give the home side a physical and mental edge during the match.
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