None of the Highlanders' four starting locks will be available for the game, while the Blues injury toll has passed a full starting team.
The Highlanders have a crisis in the locking position and all four locks who started the season are out with injury.
Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph could not be contacted yesterday as he spent the day planning for the crunch game at Eden Park.
Although safely into the playoffs, the side can secure a home playoff game if it wins with a bonus point and the Chiefs do not do the same.
Teams which are tied on the end of the competition are separated by how many wins each team has recorded.
If that is the same - the Highlanders and Chiefs both have 10 wins - then it goes on points differential.
The Chiefs are one point ahead with a positive points differential of 81, compared to the Highlanders on 80.
If the teams are still tied, which appears unlikely, it goes to number of tries scored, then try differential and finally a toss of the coin.
But before the calculators come out, the Highlanders need to get a team on the paddock.
Locks Tom Franklin and Alex Ainley both picked up injuries in the side's heavy loss to the Hurricanes and appear little chance of playing this Friday night.
Ainley hurt his knee while Franklin did something to his wrist and shoulder.
With Joe Wheeler (knee) and Mark Reddish (broken hand) also in the sick bay, the cupboard is bare.
Wider training squad member Joe Latta is one logical replacement while Green Island loose forward Jackson Hemopo could also come into consideration, as he has trained with the team in previous weeks.
Alternatively, at a pinch, loose forward Elliot Dixon could play at lock.
There were suggestions the retired Brad Thorn could come back for one last hit-out but, whatever happens, the new players are not going to have much time to prepare.
The team did not train yesterday and any new players will only have a couple of days, at the most, to prepare for the game.
However, the Highlanders are not alone in managing injuries.
The Blues now have 16 players on the injury list and another three away in Italy on New Zealand under-20 duty.
The latest player to join the injury list was prop Ofa Tu'ungafasi, who was knocked out in the side's loss to the Crusaders on Saturday night.
Luck simply is not smiling on the Blues - so much so that it is losing players to injury despite them not even playing for the franchise on Saturday.
Backs Frank Halai and Francis Saili were not picked for the game against the Crusaders as they are leaving to go overseas and coach John Kirwan plumped for some youth.
Halai and Saili went and played club rugby and proceeded to get injured.
Saili picked up a concussion and Halai injured a knee and neither will front on Friday night.
They join a casualty ward which includes the likes of loose forwards Jerome Kaino (finger) and Steven Luatua (shoulder), lock Patrick Tuipolotu (hip) and props Charlie Faumuina (neck) and Tony Woodcock (shoulder).
If the Blues lose on Friday night, they will end their season with three wins, their worst winning return for a season in their history.
