Colin Kaepernick expecting "knockdown" match

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has said that he is expecting a "knockdown" game when his side face the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC championship match on Sunday.

The 49ers, who finished as runners-up to the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl last season, secured their third consecutive appearance in a conference title match courtesy of a 23-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers yesterday.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, are the number one seed in the playoffs and overcame the New Orleans Saints with a 23-15 victory in the divisional round on Saturday.

The two teams were among the pre-season favourites to win the Super Bowl this season, and Kaepernick is anticipating a good contest.

"I think we're the two teams that everybody was looking at from the beginning. It's going to be a knockdown, drag-out game," he told The AP.

The two sides have met twice already this season, winning one apiece.