US presidential debate preview: Clinton and Trump set to go head to head in Long Island
With 42 days to go until US citizens go to the polls to decide whether Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will be the next occupant of the oval office, the two candidates face off on Monday in the first of a series of televised debates which could be crucial to both of their chances.
In the past, the debates have been crucial in the final outcome of the US presidential election. Few will forget the infamous debate between Kennedy and Nixon, in which the latter struggled against the style and charm of the former.
Or Ronald Reagan's brilliant one-liner when facing off against Walter Mondale in 1984 - "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."
Over 80m people are set to tune in on Monday night in what will be the most viewed debate of all time, and is even expected to challenge the figures of the quintessential American TV event - the SuperBowl.
As the Republican and Democrat candidates get ready to spar for the first time, they will know that the polls currently show a tight race, with a Bloomberg survey indicating deadlock among likely voters.
Trump and Clinton are two of the least popular presidential candidates from recent memory, with the businessman being slated for controversial policies on trade and immigration, while former president Bill's wife has struggled against claims of a lack of transparency in her campaign.
The debate, which will be held in Hofstra University's David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on New York's Long Island, is likely to see Trump go for the jugular in attacking his opponent, whom he has consistently referred to as "Crooked Hillary".
Host Lester Holt will ask the questions to the nominees, according to the key themes of national security and the economy.
After the key central bank meetings of this month, stock market attentions will now turn to the debates for an indication of the direction the US will take in the next four years.
Deutsche Bank analyst Mary-Jane Stuart pointed out that "nine of the 14 recessions since WWII have been in the first year of a presidential term", and while she adds that she doesn't believe this will be the case this time around, it is a delicate time for US politics, and markets as a result.
By Tuesday morning the face of the next US President may be just that little bit clearer.