Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer square off in the semi-finals of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in a pre-season blockbuster.
The last time these two met was in the semis of the US Open back in September, one of the defining matches of Djokovic's 2011 season and almost symbolic of his invincibility for most of the season. Djokovic saved two match points to win in five sets and Federer will be quietly determined to score a psychological blow ahead of the new season.
However Djokovic has a slight advantage having already shaken off some of the rust with a three set win over Gael Monfils on Thursday. Federer received a bye straight through to the semis having reached the final here last year.
Federer may lead 14-10 on the head-to-head but Djokovic won four of their five matches in 2011 and that's something Federer will need to rectify if he's going to get back to number one in the world.
Djokovic on the other hand will be quite keen to burst Federer's bubble. The Swiss got on a roll at the end of 2011 and you could just see the belief surging back through him with every tournament victory. Djokovic will be hoping to nip that in the bud ahead of the Australian Open in a few weeks time.
Prediction: Djokovic to have the edge in three sets
