KEY POINTS:
Two of rugby's more precocious midfield talents will be at the heart of the Blues' desperate quest to qualify for the Super 14 playoffs.
Luke McAlister will return to the Blues after a layoff with a fractured cheekbone, and the Force's Matt Giteau is producing the form which persuaded the franchise to invest heavily in his transfer west this season.
Inspiration from either will go some way towards deciding Friday's match at Subiaco Oval in Perth.
Blues coach David Nucifora is a former Brumbies coach, so he needs no warning about Giteau's skills. But he also has faith in McAlister.
"Luke looks sharp - he has trained well and he is ready to go," he said.
"Luke adds a similar type of punch and x-factor to a team that Giteau does. Having Luke will take a lot of predictability away from the defenders.
"His skills are multi-faceted and it will be a bit harder to pin someone like that down."
McAlister joined the side in Perth this week after receiving a medical clearance allowing him to play again after the injury he incurred against the Chiefs.
His arrival was a boost for a side trying to halt a three-match losing streak, and timely as his deputy, Sam Tuitupou, strained his neck in the latest loss, against the Bulls.
The Blues team will not be announced until today but McAlister is sure to be included - unlike several other All Black contenders.
Wing Joe Rokocoko remains most at risk as Rudi Wulf was picked as the Blues' player of the match against the Bulls and on the other flank Doug Howlett has been one of the squad's more consistent players.
If Ali Williams is promoted to start at lock it will be at the expense of Greg Rawlinson, who was prominent in the last game.
Captain Troy Flavell could switch to the blindside to accommodate all three players, but Nucifora has not shown any inclination to use Flavell anywhere but lock this season and is unlikely to alter his plans.
"The Force are obviously a different team at home to what people saw in New Zealand," Nucifora said.
"They've got a good back three, they've got some speed in the middle with Giteau, their backrow doesn't go too bad and they have a good forward leader in Sharpe so they have lots of good components in their game and they are a threat in a few places."
Despite the unflattering 40-19 scoreline, Nucifora was not disheartened by the failure against the Bulls. He thought his side showed enough intensity throughout the middle stages to have won the match.
The lineout had early struggles and the scrum was not consistent enough.
"But from 10 minutes before halftime to the 67th minute when they scored from our mistake, I felt it was a war of attrition. We felt they were wilting but the mistake cost us.
"If we play with that intensity again I am confident we will go all right against the Force. Changing the momentum is tough but we played a lot of football in that last game and have to do it again."
