3 Head-To-Head Battles That Will Decide Newcastle Vs Northampton Town

3. DEFENCE - Steven Taylor (NUFC) Vs Zander Diamond (NTFC)

Steven Taylor has seen himself called back into the Premier League first-team fold for Newcastle United in recent weeks due to Daryl Janmaat's suspension, and he has performed pretty well since returning. Zander Diamond, meanwhile, is a 30-year-old centre-back who, before signing for Northampton Town in 2014, played for Aberdeen, Oldham Athletic and Burton Albion. In terms of their league stats from 2014-15, Taylor managed just 10 appearances (seven as a starter, three off the bench) for the Magpies and netted once, as both injury and a loss of form saw him pushed out of the first-team fold. Diamond on the other hand played 21 times for Northampton (18 as a starter, three off the bench), and also netted once as he helped the Cobblers to a mid-table finish in League Two.

Both are similar ages (Taylor is 29, Diamond is 30), and both are also very close in the height range, although the Northampton centre-back shades it at 6ft 2in to the Newcastle defender's 6ft 1in. Interestingly, although Diamond was booked on more occasions last season (four times to Taylor's once), it was the Magpies defender who received a red card, showing that both have a tendency to commit fouls at the back. Partially due to Taylor's poor injury record, Diamond has more experience than his Newcastle counterpart, with 312 appearances to Taylor's 213. Both will be crucial defensively to their sides, particularly if Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini does not feature, as is expected to be the case. Verdict: Steven Taylor One is a Premier League defender, one is a solid Football League performer. As long as Taylor keeps his cool and leads from the front, he should marshal Newcastle to a victory - and possibly even a clean sheet.