Who arrives in better shape?

LQ: The big talking point over the past fortnight has been the injury to Patriots uber tight end, Rob Gronkowski, but it's relatively certain that ‘Gronk' will play on Sunday. Outside of their tight end touchdown machine, New England is in pretty decent shape, injury wise. New York however, has a few more concerns this week. Ahmad Bradshaw, Hakeem Nicks, Osi Unemyiora, Corey Webster and Jacquian Williams have all been limited in practices. However, similar to Gronkowski, it's highly unlikely to think that any of the players won't suit up for the big game, but the Giants have more cause for concern.

EW: Gronkowski's injury alone means the Patriots arrive in worse shape than the Giants. He is so important to the creative New England offensive scheme, that if he doesn't play - or is severely limited by his high ankle sprain - then the New York defense will have a much easier task.

Which team arrives after the easiest route?

LQ: It's never an ‘easy' feat making it to the Super Bowl, but it's astonishing to see that New England has only matched up against three playoff teams (Pittsburgh, New York and Denver) all season. In fact, the Patriots only played two teams all season that ended the year with a winning record. As a result, the Pats ran roughshod over their opponents in the second half of the season, outscoring them 291 to 158 combined in the final eight contests.

With that in mind, I'll say the Patriots have had the easier path.

EW: This is a no-brainer. Not only did the Patriots have an easy run as Liam points out, but the Giants made it through one of the NFL's more brutal schedules. In the regular season, they played division rivals the Cowboys and Eagles twice, and also played the Patriots, Saints, Jets, Packers and 49ers. Then, in the playoffs the Giants got past the Falcons, Packers (again) and 49ers (again) to earn this berth in the Super Bowl.

Who is the win bigger for, Brady or Manning?

LQ: Tom Brady. Sure, for Eli there's the ‘who's the better Manning storyline' with big brother Peyton, but a Patriots win elevates Brady to the very top of the quarterback tree. If Brady steers New England to victory it will be his record-equaling fourth Super Bowl triumph, tying the mark set by Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana. The argument could already be made that Brady is one of the top five quarterbacks of all time, and another title would mean that he should be considered top three as a minimum.

EW: I agree that a New England win elevates Brady to a special place with Montana and Bradshaw, but I actually think it means more for Eli. Not only would he have one more Super Bowl ring than his highly-regarded brother, but he would move into that so-called "elite" quarterback status. Only a handful of quarterbacks have won two Super Bowls, and the list includes Hall of Famers Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, Bob Griese and John Elway. Eli, long considered the "other Manning," would start to cement his place in football history.

Which player has the X-factor?

LQ: New England's Kyle Arrington. Lets face it, the New England pass defense has been terrible all season. When you allow the second most yards per game on the pass, few other adjectives could be used to describe it. But Arrington has put together a very serviceable year. The Maryland native has eight interceptions on the year, accounting for over a third of the team total. Going up against New York's dynamic receiving trio of Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz, Arrington will need to be at his best to help keep his Patriots in the contest. But on the same notion, if the Giants try and attack the Patriots' weak pass defense, Arrington should be presented with opportunity to make plays.

EW: New England running back Benjarvus Green-Ellis. Few expect the Patriots to be able to run the football, but if Green-Ellis can establish any sort of ground attack then the pressure will lessen on Tom Brady. Green-Ellis ran for 52 yards on 12 carries when the teams met in November (a 24-20 Giants win) which isn't anything special. If he can improve on that in the Super Bowl, then New England should be in good shape.

Who wins?

LQ: New England, but it will be close. Even though the Patriots are relatively lucky to be in the Super Bowl (Baltimore had them beat in the AFC Championship), it's never a smart move picking against Tom Brady in big games. The Giants have been sensational over the second half of the season, but the Patriots should just have enough to get the win on Sunday evening.

EW: I concur, although I actually believe that the Giants are better positioned to win. New York is the hotter team, they're better defensively and they seem to have an edge when they play the Patriots. But while Liam (rightly) points out that New England is lucky to be here, the same could be said for New York; they were a couple of fumbled punt returns away from losing to San Francisco. Brady played poorly against Baltimore and I don't see him replicating that performance. Bill Belichick will undoubtedly have something up his sleeve, so I'm picking the Patriots in a close one.