3 Head-To-Head Battles That Will Decide Man Utd Vs Newcastle United

1. FORWARD - Wayne Rooney (MUFC) Vs Papiss Cisse (NUFC)

Wayne Rooney heads into this game on the back of a nine-match goalless streak - but he has netted 12 times against the Magpies in the Premier League, and will fancy ending his baron run on Saturday. Papiss Cisse meanwhile bagged Newcastle's opening goal of the season against Southampton but struggled at Swansea City and was hooked after 53 minutes as Steve McClaren attempted to shut-up shop once his side went down to 10 men. In 2014-15, Rooney played 33 times for Manchester United in the Premier League (all as a starter) and netted 12 times. The England skipper also provided five assists, and his statistics are made more impressive by the fact he played a fair proportion of those matches as a midfielder.

Alternatively, his Senegalese counterpart made 22 Premier League appearances for Newcastle (11 as a starter, 11 off the bench) and scored 11 times. As well as averaging a goal every start in 2014-15, Cisse also provided one assist for his teammates. In terms of their hold-up play and general contribution to the game, Rooney comes out on top. He leads Cisse in terms of key passes per game (1.4 to 0.3), aerial duels won per match (1.2 to 0.9) and pass-completion percentage (84.7% to 77.5%). Rooney also averages more shots per game than Cisse (2.4 to 2.0), although that also arguably shows that the latter is the more clinical of the two. Perhaps surprisingly, both average 0.4 offsides per game - despite Cisse's reputation for persistently starting his runs too soon.

Verdict: Coin Toss It's simply too difficult to choose between them. Wayne Rooney is on woeful form, but that is likely to end against a Newcastle side he loves scoring past, while Papiss Cisse may not even start the game if Steve McClaren opts for Aleksandar Mitrovic instead. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow WhatCulture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.