The cards are on the table. We know the XVs who will face off against each other at Murrayfield on Boxing Day.

The annual Scottish derbies between Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors to compete for the 1872 Cup have been strung out this year, with the second leg not taking place until the final weekend of the season, rather than the traditional New Year's Day fixture.

But the match still makes for fascinating viewing with youth given its chance alongside seasoned test players and club stalwarts.

Here we analyse each area of the field and look at where the difference between the teams could lie.

Edinburgh: Blair Kinghorn, Damien Hoyland, Tom Brown

Glasgow: Stuart Hogg, Junior Bulumakau, Lee Jones

The loss of Tommy Seymour could be huge for the Warriors. Bulumakau has some crowd-pleasing qualities but is inexperienced and enters a contest of test match intensity in his first start of the year.

Edinburgh on the other hand are able to field their first choice trio of strike backs, with Damien Hoyland their major threat on the wing.

Blair Kinghorn is the even younger pretender to Stuart Hogg's full back throne and, after turning it on against Harlequins earlier this year, will be looking to catch the eye again.

He may have to post a career-best day to outshine Hogg though. The Scotland 15 is one of the biggest X Factor players in world rugby.

Verdict: Edinburgh have the better balance but Stuart Hogg is Stuart Hogg

Edinburgh: Phil Burleigh, Chris Dean

Glasgow: Alex Dunbar, Mark Bennett

Burleigh is a good 12 and Dean has seen off some very solid players to become Duncan Hodge's go-to outside centre but they have a huge job on their hands to outplay their midfield counterparts.

Dunbar is Scotland's first choice 12; an imposing mix of muscular, incisive running, strong defence and good hands.

Bennett is still getting back to his best after his brief sabbatical with Team GB's 7s squad in Rio but has the speed and step to leave defences grasping at air.

Verdict: Advantage Glasgow

Edinburgh: Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Duncan Weir

Glasgow: Henry Pyrgos, Finn Russell

It is heartening to see Hidalgo-Clyne start to regain his confidence after too long in a form slump.

His marshalling of the capital side to the European Challenge Cup final in 2015 earned him the national team back-up gig behind Greig Laidlaw but he has been a shadow of that dynamic, sniping scrum-half since then.

Henry Pyrgos has been knocked by injury and the form of Ali Price has kept him waiting for a run in the Warriors side.

On his day, only Laidlaw among the Scotland caps can dictate the tempo of a match better than the Glasgow co-captain.

The showdown at stand-off is the top billing event of this derby game. Finn Russell is flying; tearing defences apart with his running, variety of delivery and creative kicking. All with that trademark cheeky grin.

Duncan Weir headed along the M8 to get more game time and he has shown glimpses of the form that made him Warriors and Scotland's number ten before Russell's emergence.

Weir is a gutsy player who will wear his heart on his sleeve against his former teammates.

Verdict: Experience and form favours the Warriors

Edinburgh: Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford, Simon Berghan

Glasgow: Alex Allan, Fraser Brown, Zander Fagerson

The head-to-head between Ford and Brown will be fascinating. Cap centurion Ford has ruled the hooking roost for a decade but right now it is the Warrior showing the greater form.

Brown was magnificent in the Champions Cup fortnight - particularly the home win over Racing 92.

Dickinson will be out to show Vern Cotter he is up to speed after his injury lay-off but, right now, he is way out in front in the running to be Scotland's Six Nations loosehead.

With WP Nel on an extended break while his neck heals up, Zander Fagerson is in the driver's seat to play tighthead for Scotland. The 20-year-old is in top form in the tight and loose.

Alex Allan and Simon Berghan may be a distance from the national team reckoning just now but Allan can impress with Edinburgh's Allan Dell settling for a place on the bench.

New Zealand-born man-mountain Berghan has had awful luck with injuries but can be a serious force in the scrum.

Verdict: Edinburgh pride themselves on a super scrum

Edinburgh: Ben Toolis, Grant Gilchrist

Glasgow: Brian Alainu'uese, Jonny Gray

Lock is an area of huge improvement for Edinburgh with the return of Gilchrist and the excellent form of Toolis, who has put himself in the running for a return to the Scotland squad with his strong and energetic recent displays.

Alainu'uese is still settling in at Scotstoun after his move from Waikato in New Zealand. A red card against Ospreys has been his most noteworthy contribution to date.

But any team with Jonny Gray in it is going to have a huge edge in the boiler room. Legend has it the last time he missed a tackle, Edinburgh were still called the Gunners.

Verdict: Jonny Gray is life

Edinburgh: Cornell du Preez, Hamish Watson, Magnus Bradbury

Glasgow: Josh Strauss, Simone Favaro, Rob Harley

The loose forward battle is always engrossing and these selections will make for prime time viewing.

The two natural opensides, Watson and Favaro, are in superb form for club and country and promise a whirlwind of action at the breakdown.

South Africa-born, Scotland-qualified, and both dedicated beard wearers at eight. De Preez and Strauss are capable of thrilling and bone-crunching in equal measure.

Bradbury and Harley each got their chance at the blindside for Scotland in the autumn but their contrasting styles will suit Cotter for different situations and opponents.

Bradbury is a carrying threat with an impressive gallop, as well as being a nuisance at the breakdown.

Harley is a hard-hitter; a defensive technician with heavy involvement in the set piece.

Verdict: Too close to call

Edinburgh: Stuart McInally, Allan Dell, Murray McCallum, Fraser McKenzie, Bill Mata, Sean Kennedy, Jason Tovey, Glenn Bryce

Glasgow: Pat McArthur, Ryan Grant, Sila Puafisi, Adam Ashe, Chris Fusaro, Ali Price, Nick Grigg, Sean Lamont

It is a 23-man game and the benches will be vital to victory.

There is good depth to the forwards at Edinburgh and their front row will fancy their chances against the Warriors' replacement three in the latter stages.

Glasgow also go without a recognised second row on the bench.

True to Gregor Townsend's team's reputation for attacking brilliance, having Price and Grigg up your sleeve to expose a tiring opponent could be the trump card. But only if Warriors are able to set th e platform to play.

Verdict: Edinburgh's back-up muscle looks appealing