It’s hard to believe that it’s now been more than four years since the horrific tackle that first set the pot simmering on this rivalry, but here we are. On each side are contingents of fans who blame the other in heated, intemperate language for an event between two players so young that they may still have been dreaming of their first full shave. Not just the chin and upper lip, mind you, but cheeks as well. However, that’s the storyline as we go into the match—not strategy or tactics or formation, but one split-second that may just define two players’ careers and stain this rivalry for the foreseeable future.

After a tough string of fixtures, a visit from Sunderland comes as something of a relief as, for the first time in what seems likes ages, we’ll face a squad without aspirations for silverware. However, the match is no less vital from our end as these are precisely the kind of points that championship-calibre teams seize. For Sunderland, currently in the drop-zone but with as many as eight other teams a mere four points way, nicking a point could represent a sizable coup, not to mention a huge morale-booster.