IF the crowds at the Australian Open will be experiencing a touch of déjà vu when Andy Murray takes on Novak Djokovic for the title today, spare a thought for the two players.

For the fourth time in six years, the pair will go head to head for the trophy at Melbourne Park. It is their sixth Grand Slam final meeting in all, but while Murray won at Wimbledon in 2013 and at the US Open the year before, Djokovic has come out on top on all three occasions here.

Aussies love an underdog and if Murray can keep it close early on – the match begins at 8.30am UK time – then they will get even more behind him.

This will be their 31st meeting – Djokovic leads 21-9 and has won their past three clashes at Grand Slam events – and the pair have known each other since their early teens on the junior circuit.

Moreover, the similarity in playing styles is something that Murray admits could make things more difficult for him as he tries to to come up with a different game-plan to win his third Grand Slam title.

“It maybe makes it a bit tougher,” Murray said. “Obviously, Novak doesn’t have loads of weaknesses in his game – not many of the top players do – so it’s tough.

“I’ve also played him so many times that I know some of the things that make him uncomfortable as well.

“I’ve played him now 30 times, we know each other’s game pretty well so I’ll try to use all those other matches to my advantage.”

Murray said he was planning to watch back recordings of some of the matches between the two, in particular a few of the nine he has won.

“The match here was a good one to look at too,” he said yesterday. “A lot of the matches we played last year were pretty close.

“The two matches we played in the slams were close and then it is also good to watch matches you have won as well to see if there is something different you did in that match. I will have a little look at them tonight.”

The second of those last year, their semi-final at the French Open, was perhaps the most encouraging of all, when Murray came from two sets down to force the match into a decider, while he also beat him in Canada last summer.

But Murray knows one thing above all. If he’s going to win, the chances are he’s going to have to play outstanding tennis for as long as possible, against a man who has made winning epic matches into an art form.

“If you want to win against Novak, the match is obviously going to be physical,” he said. “He returns very well, he is solid off both sides. He moves great so you don’t get lots of free points and you need to be prepared to fight. physically. Pretty much all of the matches I have played against him in slams have been very tough matches physically.

“I have to sustain my level for long and not have any drop offs. If you have the advantage, to keep doing what you’re doing, don’t change anything. Maintain your intensity. And that’s it.”

There has been much talk here about how much the extra day off Djokovic has enjoyed – a quirk of the schedules to allow both semi-finals to be played at night for TV purposes – will be a factor.

Given that Murray had to go the distance against Milos Raonic to get to his fourth final, it stands to reason he will not be quite as fresh as the world No 1.

But the player who has played the second semi-final – and therefore had 24 hours less recovery time – has won the title in five of the past eight years here.

Murray said he is physically fine and Djokovic, who will be going for an Open era record sixth title, said yesterday he expects nothing other than an intense physical and mental battle.

“I’m expecting a battle with Andy, as it always is. A very physically demanding match. Lots of rallies and exchanges.

“It’s no secret we know how we play against each other, It’s two games that are very much alike, so it’s basically who’s going to outplay who from the baseline.”

The fact that Djokovic has won their three previous finals will, of course, give him confidence and the way he played against Roger Federer in the semi-finals makes him an even bigger favourite. But the Serb knows better than to underestimate Murray and will be going flat out from the start.

“When I hear predictions that are positive, of course it does flatter and add to your confidence,” Djokovic said. “But you can’t get carried away with that. It also imposes a great obstacle mentally in a way because you need to deliver.

“I have a tremendous respect and admiration for everything he’s achieved in his career. He’s one week older than me so we grew up together.

“We have very similar styles of game and very similar trajectory to the professional tennis so it’s nice to see that our rivalry keeps on going and we keep playing for the biggest titles. I understand the kind of desire and will to win that is present. But of course I don’t underestimate him. No question about it.

“It’s a challenge that I’m going to face, I must accept, and hopefully I’ll be able to give my best.”

With his wife Kim due to have their first child in the coming days, Murray says he is ready for one last push of his own but whatever the outcome today, he will head home to prepare for the biggest change in his life.

To that end, he has even been reading a few books on parenting, including one called, he said, Commando Dad. “It is from an ex-army guy who has written it,” he said.

“It is quite a small book so you can fit it in your pocket but there is a lot of stuff in it. It is about making sure you have everything ready in the house so that when the baby comes home, you are not having to go out and buy loads of stuff.

“That is good. Then I have got a few books that people have bought me at Christmas, which are more fun than serious stuff.”