Ennis lines up for one-off race against Ohuruogu with one eye on Barcelona

The head-to-head between the two golden girls of British athletics provides a significant threat to Ohuruogu's record of 16.94secs at the city's innovative street meeting in Deansgate.

Olympic 400m champion Ohuruogu may hold a slight tactical advantage in what will be her third outing in a 150m straight-track race, but world heptathlon champion Ennis looks set to mount a challenge.

"It's going to be something new and different, and I'm looking forward to seeing what I can run," said Ennis, who under the guidance of coach Toni Minichiello sometimes rounds off training sessions with a 150m but around a bend.

"Christine's record is pretty quick but with a fresh pair of legs running out of the blocks, I might have a go."

Ennis reckons the contest will be ideal preparation for competing in her first heptathlon of the year at the Gotzis Hyper meeting in a fortnight.

The 24-year-old athlete needs a serious sprint challenge before then and, with both British stars renowned for their determination to win every competition they contest, a thriller is on the cards.

"I think it's difficult to say," said Ennis of the outcome. "Christine is extremely quick and I expect her to run a very good time.

"I see this as a great opportunity for me to prepare for the 200m I will run in the heptathlon in Gotzis. Yes, it allows me to have a good run-out. It is going to be something new for me and I'm really looking forward to it."

Ennis took a week's rest after her World Indoor Championships pentathlon success in Doha in March before embarking on a training schedule designed to win her the European heptathlon gold medal in July.

"Training has been going well," she said.

"I've got some good work done since Doha and I'm now looking forward to the summer season."

Ennis was content with her displays at last weekend's Yorkshire and Humberside Championships, where in gale force conditions she won the 100m, long jump and shot put.

"It was an okay start, just a good chance to blow off the cobwebs," she said about her performance.

"I was happy with the long jump – jumping 6.29m into a headwind was promising. However, it was difficult with such bad weather conditions."

Ennis and Ohuruogu will be joined at the nine-event meeting in Manchester this weekend by a host of top stars, including Tyson Gay – the world's second fastest performer over 100m.

The former double world sprint title-holder, racing over 200m on a straight track, will be bidding to lower the world-best performance of 19.5secs – a mark achieved by his fellow American Tommie Smith on a cinder track in San Jose 44 years ago.

Wakefield's Emily Freeman will face three-time world champion Allyson Felix of the United States in the 200m, while Rikki Fifton has possibly the toughest task of any Briton when he lines up for his 200m race.

Fifton is in a line-up headed by 2004 Olympic gold medallist Shawn Crawford and they will be joined by another American, Mike Rodgers, as well as European 100m and 200m champion Francis Obikwelu, of Portugal.