Cabaye v Gerrard: Which midfield maestro will dominate Newcastle-Liverpool tie?

As international breaks go, Steven Gerrard probably enjoyed his more than most.

The Liverpool skipper, who also captains his country, helped England book their spot at next summer’s World Cup in Brazil with home wins over Montenegro and Poland at Wembley.

His late strike against the Poles banished all thoughts of a nightmare two-legged play-off and allowed the whole country to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Fresh from his exploits in white, Gerrard slips back into his familiar red shirt for Liverpool’s lunchtime kick-off against Newcastle on Saturday, a game which offers Brendan Rodgers’ side an opportunity to jump above Arsenal and back to the top of the table.

But instead of little-known eastern Europeans, the 33-year-old faces an altogether more testing challenge when he comes up against the Magpies’ own midfield maestro, Yohan Cabaye.

The Frenchman has endured a stop-start season after attempting to force through a summer move to the Emirates but is now firmly back in favour with manager Alan Pardew after an impressive cameo in the 3-2 defeat at Everton late last month.

With Cabaye and Gerrard both tasked with orchestrating their respective midfields, Saturday’s result may well depend on who turns in the more impactful performance.

Gerrard has so far played every minute of Liverpool’s Premier League games this season, maintaining his spot in the heart of Liverpool’s midfield. Cabaye, on the other hand, is yet to complete a game, starting in three of his five appearances.

Despite his advancing years, Gerrard continues to dominate in his all-action, box-to-box role. He has so far amassed a Squawka Performance Score of 334, the highest of any player in the entire division. Cabaye sits 98th with a score of 112.

Given the France international’s lack of playing time compared to automatic-pick Gerrard, it would be a little unfair to judge them on Performance Score only.

Pass accuracy and getting on the ball regularly is key for any central midfielder and it’s little surprise that Gerrard has excelled in both areas so far. His accuracy of 85% is noticeably better than than Cabaye’s 77%, while his 307 short passes dwarfs the Newcastle man’s 106.

Both players are regarded as creative influences within their own teams, although neither has managed to record an assist during the current campaign. Gerrard (10) beats Cabaye (seven) in terms of chances created, although he has played 287 minutes more than his rival.

Each man has a single goal to his name thus far but Gerrard appears the more dangerous in the attacking third, hitting the target with 64% of his 11 shots compared to Cabaye’s success rate of 50%.

The England man has also shown a desire to get forward and beat opponents in the right areas too, impressively completing five of his six take-ons so far. Cabaye has also attempted six take-ons but has failed on five occasions, indicating that he might be better off picking out a team-mate than going it alone at St James’ Park.

From a defensive viewpoint the stats are a lot less clearcut. Cabaye has won a respectable 67% of his 12 tackles while Gerrard has come out on top in 68% of his 19 tackles. The Liverpool captain is more active in his side’s own half though, averaging five defensive actions compared to the 27-year-old’s three.

After an away win over Cardiff in their last game, Newcastle will be in confident mood for the visit of high-flying Liverpool. But unfortunately for Pardew and the home fans on Saturday, the north-east side will need Cabaye to up his game significantly if he’s to stand any chance of winning his battle with in-form England hero Gerrard.