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:

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#5 Romelu Lukaku vs Jan Vertonghen

Clash of the Titans

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.

#4 Christian Eriksen vs Nemanja Matic

Can Eriksen get the better of arguably United's most consistent outfield player?

The wily Danish playmaker vs the hard-nosed Serbian enforcer; sounds a bit cliched, but it is what it is... there are few better at their jobs than Christian Eriksen and Nemanja Matic, and while the Serb was able to keep his Danish antonym quiet during their first match at Old Trafford, at Wembley Eriksen wreaked havoc.

Dropping deeper than usual to swamp the midfield alongside Dele Alli and Mousa Dembele, Eriksen played Matic off the park that day, and the United man will be keen to extract revenge. If he can stop the Dane from playing his natural game, Spurs' passing rhythm and subsequent forward momentum will get drastically affected but if Eriksen can dominate the Serb, it'll leave United's fragile backline hopelessly exposed.

It's a winner take all duel, this.

#3 Alexis Sanchez vs Kieron Trippier

Trippier keeps Sanchez on a leash

It appears likely that Mauricio Pochettino will trust the more reliable Trippier over the more exciting, but oh, so unreliable Serge Aurier down the right flank and that will put him in direct contact with the utterly underwhelming Alexis Sanchez.

To be fair to the Chilean, and it seems to be a crime to be that, he's just settling into a new team - with a new manager who plays football that is as unlike his previous manager as possible - and he seems to be finding his feet. Trippier, meanwhile, has stepped into Kyle Walker's shoes brilliantly and has been great defensively - and offensively - this season.

How Sanchez handles Trippier will be extremely important to the match. But it's not just in offense that the Chilean has to sparkle.

With Pochettino's narrow midfield and forward line, Trippier's importance in Spurs' offensive strategy is paramount - and Sanchez will have to do his bit in tracking back as well.

#2 Paul Pogba vs Mousa Dembele

Dembele dominates Pogba

Sir Alex Ferguson is said to have rejected the chance to sign Mousa Dembele during the latter stages of the Scot's tenure at Old Trafford - an extension of the manager's dis-inclination towards positionally wayward midfielders... a problem Jose Mourinho now faces with another youngster Ferguson didn't really trust.

Spurs took the gamble, and having stuck with the Belgian through thick and thin, and numerous injuries, are finally reaping the benefits of having a man built like a bull, but with the dancing feet of a ballerina, at the base of their midfield - it remains to be seen if Jose Mourinho will be so inclined in the coming year(s)

Last time out, Dembele so completely outplayed Pogba that it looked like they were playing different sports. Pogba's pride would have been hurt, and there's but one way to salvage that... on the pitch.

#1 Harry Kane vs David De Gea

Like I said, it's Kane vs De Gea; just look at Chris Smalling

Traditionally, we'd have put in Harry Kane vs the opposition's central defenders... but Harry Kane vs Chris Smalling is not even a battle (although Eric Bailly is an altogether different proposition); so assuming that Kane targets, isolates, and beats Smalling... the match could hinge on just how good David De Gea is on the day.

On his A-game, his ability to stop goals is unparalleled in world football - just ask Arsenal - and his ability, or inability, to frustrate the most prolific Englishman of our time could well decide this semi-final.