'X Factor' winner Joe McElderry faces a battle to top the pop charts this Christmas amid a determined Internet campaign to keep him off the number one spot.
McElderry's debut single, a cover of American Miley Cyrus's 'The Climb', was expected to emulate previous winners by securing the Christmas number one.
However, a drive has been hatched on the Facebook website to promote US band Rage Against The Machine's (RATM) 1992 single 'Killing in the Name' and could cause an upset.
"Are you getting fed up about the possibility of ANOTHER X-Factor Christmas No.1? ... us too ... so we're going to do something about it!" says the campaign, which has attracted more than 755,000 followers.
'X Factor' winners have easily secured the Christmas top spot for the last four years, and music experts have previously said there was little chance anyone could produce a serious rival.
However, the Official Charts Company (OCC) in the UK said initial sales tallies showed that RATM were ahead of McElderry, although he was expected to receive a boost when a CD version of his single is released today.
"This is shaping up to be a very exciting battle between two different records which have captured the nation's imagination," said the OCC's managing director Martin Talbot.
"But, although Rage Against The Machine have started off in front, according to our initial sales estimates, there is no doubt that this tussle is far from over."
'X Factor' judge Simon Cowell hit out at the campaign backing RATM last week, saying it was aimed at him and that it was "stupid."
