Before I get into it, if you haven't already, then make sure to read my combined St Helens/Warrington team, a big project which I really enjoyed writing. You can read that by clicking here.
In terms of squad news, Jack Hughes, as expected, has returned to the 19-man squad in the only change after being rested completely last week against London. He replaces Sitaleki Akauola, who hasn't made the squad for this game. Steve Price has confirmed that Jake Mamo and Bryson Goodwin are very close to returns from injury, but neither have made the squad for this game. This means that Matt Davis and Danny Walker remain in the squad, with Ben Westwood due to serve the final game of his 4-match suspension on Friday.
Full Back - 1 Stefan Ratchford
There will be a lot of emphasis on Ratchford's goal-kicking on Friday night. When we beat Saints in the playoff semi-final last year, a lot of our success was built upon accurate goal-kicking, particularly from any penalties that we may get. His record has been very good in the last few games, so hopefully he will keep that up.
Winger - 2 Tom Lineham
Lineham returns to the scene of his greatest moment in a Warrington shirt, where he scored two tries last October to send us to the Grand Final. All Wire fans will remember his second try for years to come, shrugging off two defenders before scoring and giving us the lead with seven minutes remaining. He has been in fine form since returning to the side, with five tries in his last two games.
Centre - 4 Ryan Atkins
With Bryson Goodwin and Jake Mamo still sidelined with injury, the centres are almost certain to remain unchanged. Atkins has been very good in his recent performances, particularly against London. His experience could be useful in such a big fixture.
Centre - 18 Toby King
Again, with Goodwin and Mamo still unavailable, King is a fairly simple choice. He is in great form lately and his link-up with Josh Charnley could be key in this game, as this is usually our most successful route to the tryline.
Winger - 5 Josh Charnley
The most in-form winger in the league will be an essential part of our success in this game. With eleven tries in nine games this season, he is in frankly ridiculous form. If he can keep up his recent scoring run, we will have a real chance on Friday.
Stand Off - 6 Blake Austin
This will be Austin's first game against St Helens and it will be interesting to see how they cope with his threat. His running game has been outstanding in recent weeks, as has his combination play. It is hard to see Saints' defence falling for Austin's dummies as easily as our most recent opponents have done though, so we may need some variation to our attacking play.
Scrum Half - 15 Declan Patton
Patton could be absolutely key in this game. With the great news that he has become a father this week, he is on a high and will hopefully carry that into this game. His kicking game hasn't been brilliant of late though he has improved his passing greatly, with long, looped passes out wide proving a successful tactic. Both Austin and Patton will need to be on hand for any drop goal attempts, too.
Prop - 8 Chris Hill
The captain played less than half an hour last week, in anticipation of this game. We will need Hill's leadership and experience more than ever this season on Friday, which means he will have to be well-disciplined, too. Personally, I would rather he focus on metres and tackling than any offloads, as I feel this could be a game decided by hard work and tight moments rather than pure skill.
Hooker - 9 Daryl Clark
Clark was given the last part of the London game off, and that rest could prove vital on Friday. He will almost certainly play the full 80 minutes on Friday, given his importance to the team. This will be a clash of the two best hookers in the country, as Clark faces up against his opposite number James Roby, arguably the two most consistent performers in the competition.
Prop - 10 Mike Cooper
The number 10 was rested from the squad last week and is a certainty to return. He has been brilliant for us this season, with his clever offloads proving a regular route to the tryline. Given that Saints will have a lot of possession, the tackling ability of the forwards including Cooper and Hill will be very important.
Second Row - 11 Ben Currie
The stats for Currie's performance last week against London make for unbelievable reading. He made 47 tackles and didn't miss a single one. I've been so impressed with his displays in the last few games, it really feels like he is getting somewhere near to the levels he was at before his injury.
Second Row - 12 Jack Hughes
You could make a very good case that with Currie and Hughes, we have the best second row duo in the league. Hughes has returned to the squad after being rested last week, which hopefully will have done him a lot of good. It often gets forgotten among Lineham's brace, but it was actually Hughes who scored our first try in the semi final against Saints last year. With tries against Castleford and Wigan already this season, don't back against him getting another here.
Loose Forward - 17 Joe Philbin
If he were available, I'd probably pick Ben Westwood to start this match, with his experience and big game know-how. However, Philbin is a more than capable replacement. He has been really impressive when playing as the loose forward this season, form which has earned him a new contract at the Wire. Big game for him on Friday.
Interchange - 20 Harvey Livett
Livett has been re-integrated into the squad in the last few weeks, and started last week against London. I would have him on the interchange bench here as an option to bring on at centre, second row or loose forward.
Interchange - 23 Matt Davis
Davis made his Warrington debut last week and did a very respectable job. He is probably fighting with Lama Tasi for a place on the bench. I honestly think Davis is a better option right now. The only question would be whether a player so new to playing Super League should be thrust into a game like this.
Interchange - 13 Ben Murdoch-Masila
Always a great option from the bench, Murdoch-Masila's strength will inevitably be needed at some point. He is a dead cert for a spot in the squad, such is his uniqueness.
Interchange - 14 Jason Clark
Another player who is guaranteed of a place on the bench, Clark has been in good form all season and is a very reliable member of the squad. After grabbing his first Wire try last week, he should be in a confident mood ahead of this game.
LINEUP LAST TIME OUT:
Ratchford, Lineham, Atkins, King, Charnley, Austin, Patton, Hill, D.Clark, Tasi, Currie, Livett, Philbin
Interchanges: J.Clark, Walker, Davis, Murdoch-Masila
MY SWEET 17:
Ratchford, Lineham, Atkins, King, Charnley, Austin, Patton, Hill, D.Clark, Cooper, Currie, Hughes, Philbin
Interchanges: Livett, Davis, Murdoch-Masila, J.Clark
So, that's the team I'd go with. From the 19-man-squad, Danny Walker and Lama Tasi are the ones to miss out. For Walker, I feel it is a bit unnecessary to have a hooker on the bench when Daryl Clark is likely to play the full 80 minutes. As for Tasi, he simply hasn't shown enough yet and didn't really impress when starting last week, though this is a game against his former club.
This is a massive game for both clubs. We are now leading the table on points difference and going to Saints as league leaders gives an extra edge to the game. With five wins in a row, we should be very confident given our high level of performance recently. Nothing will be won or lost in this game, but it would be a real marker to lay down. I'd say that whoever wins this match becomes the favourites to win the whole thing.
I think it'll be very, very close, much like the last time we played them. In that semi final, we were tactically excellent and managed to completely shut down the threat of Ben Barba, it will be interesting to see if we are able to pull off the same trick on Lachlan Coote. I also think a lot will depend on goal-kicking accuracy, and I would expect that any penalties near the posts will see Coote or Ratchford elect to go for two points. I'm going to go for us to win, as we have been excellent the last few games, while Saints have laboured recently and lost their first game of the season last week. Without the influence of Theo Fages they lose a lot of creative play too. Big one this. Come on Wire.
Prediction: St Helens 16-20 Warrington
It's always our year.
Daniel (@aloosewire)
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