By Charlie Bennett at the Stade de France

Pack the fridge, shut the curtains and kick the dog outside – because tomorrow night’s showdown between Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen is not to be missed.

The Olympic final everyone has been waiting for has been booked in after both sailed safely through to the men’s 1500m final to set tongues wagging ahead of their mouth-watering battle for gold.

Edinburgh star Kerr and his Norwegian rival have exchanged plenty of barbs in the build-up to this race, but only tomorrow will they final settle it for good in what is perhaps the most highly anticipated event of the whole Olympics.

Ingebrigtsen, the defending champion, claimed Kerr has avoided him since the Scot surged to the World Championship title a year ago – and he might well have a point.

Kerr ran his first 1500m race of the season in the heats here at the Stade de France, yet they came together in the first semi-final on Sunday night and, if that is anything to go by, Tuesday is set to be a cracker.

Ingebrigtsen edged it, crossing the line just 0.08s quicker to win the heat. But Kerr’s only concern was over-delivering on his media rounds on Saturday, and brushed off any suggestion the result will have any effect on the final.

He insists he has timed his preparation to perfection ahead of this Games and is ready to deliver a historic gold medal.

“Fans should expect the most competitive 1500m the sport has seen in a long time,” he said.

“There’s been a lot of talking words over the last few years, I’m looking to settle that on Tuesday and give it my best performance.

"I feel great. I felt really good today. I will be interested in the splits but other than getting in trouble with how much media I did a few days ago, it's been pretty smooth."

Though the heavy favourites, Kerr and Ingebrigtsen are far from guaranteed a medal and Glasgow’s Neil Gourley is among the chasing pack bidding to bag the win.

Gourley was in the final semi-final and finished strongly in 3:32.11 to leave himself dreaming of a podium spot.

"Something physical like a medal would definitely do it,” he said when asked what would be considered success.

“I want to have the best race I've ever had in the final. If I do that, I am putting myself in with a chance of winning a medal. That has to be the goal."

The Stade de France is the place to be in the second week of the Games and if the 1500m final can match the 100m for drama, then we’re in for all-timer.

USA’s Noah Lyles came away with the gold after a seven-way photo finish to that saw all eight men run under 10 seconds for the first time in Olympic history.

Lyles was sluggish out of the blocks but came roaring back to take it by a nose hair from Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson and USA’s Fred Kerley, and add to the World Championship gold he won last year.

The final winning margin was just five thousandths of a second in what will go down as one of the all-time great Olympic races. Team GB’s Zharnel Hughes and Louie Hinchliffe both went out in the semi-finals.

Keely Hodgkinson will hope for less stress tonight but has promised a box-office 800m final after underlining why she is the favourite for gold by qualifying fastest.

The 22-year-old is bidding to upgrade the silver she won in Tokyo three years ago to gold and claim her first global major title.

She looked at the top of her game at the Stade de France last night, easing to victory in just 1:56.86s to leave her rivals trailing in her wake.

Victory would see her emulate Kelly Holmes’ 800m gold from 20 years ago and Hodgkinson says she can now look forward to the race after trying to block it from her mind until she qualified.

"It felt great. You can't talk about medals until you're in the final so I'm super happy to put that performance together,” she said.

“All I can say is tune in for a really exciting race.

"You can't take any chances. It gave me a good practice but I just wanted to be safely qualified. Job done. We're in the final now. Mission is on.

"I have said it all year I really want to upgrade my silver.

“I think I am in the best shape physically, mentally, emotionally to do that, that I have been ever. So I just hope that I can put it together and let's see what we can do.”

Meanwhile, there was disappointment for Beith’s Jemma Reekie after she failed to reach the final.

Reekie was sitting pretty in the lead at the end of the first lap but did not have the speed in her legs down the final 100m and eventually finished fifth.

“It was not good but I am going to go away and speak to my coach and get myself together,” she said.

“I am in the best shape of my life and I made some mistakes there and that is what happens but I just need to go away and think about it.

“I ran well a few weeks ago. For sure, I've built on since then and training has gone better than what it was before and I need to go back and look at it.”

Meanwhile, 400m hopeful Matt Hudson-Smith surged into the semi-finals with a comfortable first-round victory.

The 29-year-old is among the favourites for gold after setting a new European record of 43.74s at the Diamond League race in London last month, and eased through in relatively comfortable 44.78s.

“It was an easy run, I was just going for the win , and try and make it as easy as possible and get ready for the semi-finals,” he said.

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