Manchester United vs Tottenham: 5 Key Battles that will decide the outcome
It's a clash that will help decide the season for two teams that are trundling towards more or less an anticlimactic finish. Manchester United may be the second-best team in the land, but they are so far behind their 'noisy' neighbours at the moment that it doesn't look as good a result as it should - not to mention the Champions League 'upset' against the footballing 'heritage' of Sevilla; while Tottenham Hotspur have flattered to deceive on more than one occasion, Mauricio Pochettino will be desperate to add some silverware to his bare coffers to validate the 'project'.
These days, an FA Cup semi-final may not have the allure of old - but it's still one of the biggest matches in the English footballing calendar; and both teams will be desperate to win.
Here, then, are the five key player battles we feel will decide the tie:
#5 Romelu Lukaku vs Jan Vertonghen
Jan Vertonghen gives two centimetres, and maybe a handful of kilograms in pure muscle, to his big(ger) compatriot, Romelu Lukaku, and theirs will be a physical - and footballing - tussle of utterly titanic proportions.
With Lukaku improving as a United striker as each week rolls on, Vertonghen will have his hands full trying to keep his compatriot quiet. Lukaku may have him beaten on sheer pace, but the Spurs defender's aerial ability is supreme as is his reading of the game and the big striker is likely to struggle if he isn't on his A+ game.
Both are possessed with an underrated footballing brain that can at times get lost in the brawn, and it'll be fascinating - and pivotal - to see who comes up trumps.