Louis van Gaal and Dick Advocaat to meet for the 10th time as Manchester United face Sunderland... so who has the better record? 

• Man United host Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon
• Match will see Louis van Gaal and Dick Advocaat go head-to-head
• Advocaat has won three of the nine meetings against Van Gaal
• They were team-mates during their playing days at Sparta Rotterdam
• Premier League news: CLICK HERE for all the latest 

By Anthony Hay for MailOnline

Published: 03:38 EST, 25 September 2015 | Updated: 17:26 EST, 25 September 2015

Dutch duo Louis van Gaal and Dick Advocaat will go head-to-head for the 10th time on Saturday afternoon - with the Sunderland boss currently holding the upper hand over his rival.

Of the nine previous meetings - including high-profile Eredivisie tussles between heavyweights PSV and Ajax - Van Gaal has only managed to finish on the winning side once.

Their last clash came in 2007 when Advocaat's Zenit St Petersburg drew 1-1 with Van Gaal's AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Cup. 

Dick Advocaat and Louis van Gaal pose with models wearing their then-respective sides' kits in 1995

Van Gaal and Advocaat exchanges words during a match between ADO Den Haag and PSV  in 2013

The Manchester United boss sips a drink as he sits alongside his former Sparta Rotterdam team-mate

However Van Gaal will feel he has a good chance of improving his head-to-head record against his old foe due to Sunderland's horrendous form.

The Black Cats appear to have run out of luck as they have lost five of their eight games this season and are currently on a three-match losing streak.

Van Gaal and Advocaat have not always been adversaries as they were once team-mates during their playing days back in the Eighties.

The former midfielders played together at Sparta Rotterdam from 1980 to 1982 after Advocaat joined the Dutch outfit from Chicago Sting.

It is thought the Dutch pair - who famously posed with models painted in their clubs' respective strips during the 1995-96 Eredivisie season - have a good relationship despite a rivalry which dates back to the mid-Nineties when Advocaat's PSV and Van Gaal's Ajax were vying for domestic honours.

Van Gaal will be hoping to get the better of fellow countryman Advocaat for just the second time in his career

Advocaat's Sunderland (pictured on Thursday) are desperate for a win following three consecutive defeats

Advocaat managed to beat Van Gaal to the Eredivisie title during the 96-97 campaign, while the current Manchester United boss led his side to the Dutch championship in three consecutive years during the period when they managed the rival clubs.

When they meet in Van Gaal's office after this weekend's fixture, the two managers will be able to reflect on similar managerial experiences over a glass of wine.

Van Gaal, 64, and Advocaat, 67, have both managed AZ Alkmaar and the Dutch national team.

In fact, Advocaat replaced Van Gaal as Holland's manager in 2002 after the Red Devils boss failed to guide his country to the World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Barry Hughes, who managed both Van Gaal and Advocaat during his time at Sparta Rotterdam, has previously stated the duo will never be close friends.

Hughes, speaking to the Daily Mirror in September 2014, said: 'There was a respect ­between Louis and the other players.

'He was never late for training. And he had a busy life. He had to look after his two girls and he was also teaching at a school in Amsterdam.

'Advocaat, on the other hand, was sociable. I could never look at Louis that way. He had a busy life but I'm not sure even if he had wanted to, that he would have stayed.'

The match at Old Trafford will mark the first meeting between the compatriots in England as Advocaat took over the reins at the Stadium of Light shortly after United's 2-0 win over Sunderland in February.

Betting odds will tell you there should only be one winner this weekend but Advocaat appears to have something over Van Gaal.

Advocaat holds up the Eredivisie title in May 1997, while Van Gaal lifts the Champions League in May 1995

Manchester United boss Van Gaal raises a glass of champagne after winning the Dutch title with Ajax

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