On Tuesday, the Saint-Petersburg stadium will be the venue for another blockbuster showdown at this year's World Cup. All eyes will be looking on with both France and Belgium just two wins away from cementing their immortality at the world's biggest stage.
As the respective star-studded outfits battle it out, one clash that will be closely monitored will be between Premier League pair Paul Pogba and Kevin De Bruyne. In recent years the duo - who belong to the two biggest clubs in Manchester - has been the subject of numerous debates. Their respective campaigns so far at Russia 2018 has obviously been fruitful and with the stakes very high at this juncture, the winner of the impending clash may as well bag home all the bragging rights.
For starters, Paul Pogba's midfield pairing with N'Golo Kante in France's 4-2-3-1 set-up has yielded great dividends in games gone by. Although statistics show that he does a relatively better job when deployed slightly upfront, Didier Deschamps decision to use him for a more central role at this tournament has seemingly paid off.
It's obviously one that works in favor of France's collective set-up as other key players are able to be utilized in advanced positions. With physicality and height complementing Kante's diminutive stature, Les Bleus are able to win both aerial and ground battles.
The Manchester United man's overall work rate also deserves a commendation as he has so far covered 38.4 km in 359 minutes of football action. Talk of being involved in the action, Pogba has also completed 189 passes with a 78% accuracy, created three big goal scoring opportunities and has averaged 2.3 clearances per game.
On the other side of the spectrum is Kevin De Bruyne who has yet again proved to be the real architect in the Belgium set-up. Just like Pogba, the Manchester City talisman had his prowess inhibited as he started most games at this year's World Cup from a deeper position.
He's mostly featured alongside Axel Witsel, Yannick Carrasco and Thomas Meunier in a four-man midfield of Roberto Martinez's 3-4-2-1 system. De Bruyne's only had his role redefined in the quarter-final win over Brazil when he played upfront along-side Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard in a 4-3-3 set-up.
Through it all, he frequently showed his creative side by putting in crucial passes and crosses. Of the 360 minutes he's played, the 27-year-old has scored and assisted on one occasion and has covered a total distance of 43.3 km while completing 178 passes with a 79% accuracy in the process.
As to who will come out on top in the battle between him and Paul Pogba, time will unquestionably be the judge.
