The Blues are injury ridden and have about as much confidence as a turkey before Christmas.
The men from the south are coming off a convincing win over the Brumbies and have some players coming into a nice run of form.
But rugby can do funny things. Strange things can occur. Upsets happen all the time.
However, the Highlanders are not going to be lulled into thinking a win is a given at Eden Park tonight.
Highlanders co-captain Ash Dixon said the side is not getting ahead of itself and knows it will have to play well to beat the Blues tonight.
``You've got to play some good footy to play against the Blues. They're a dangerous team,'' Dixon said.
``I think with what the media has been saying about all these injuries - it doesn't matter. They will be pumped and fired up. We've got to really play our game and play it well or we will get beaten.''
He said any team was hard in the competition and you had to play well to beat any side.
``If we do not bring our strong game then we will be under the sticks a bit. We have to make sure we have got systems and plans in place to put out a performance we are happy with.''
The shorter week for preparation meant the side had to be accurate on the training field, he said.
The Blues sit in bottom place in the New Zealand conference and overall are in 14th place on the table, with just the lowly Sunwolves below them.
It seems hard to believe they sit where they do as they have quality players all over the park.
The Ioane brothers are star quality, while there is something to like about young loose forward Dalton Papalii. Youngster Stephen Perofeta moves from the pocket position to fullback and his running ability should be an asset at the back.
The ability of the players lining up in the Blues uniform is not lost on Dixon.
``In unstructured play they are outstanding. They have got athletes in that side that can score from anywhere. Their players, from one to 23, will offload anything.
``The defence is key tomorrow night. We need to put them under a bit of pressure and hold the ball. If we can do that and get a bit of momentum and hopefully score some points in tries . . .''
He said there was some good patches of defence in the win over the Brumbies last week.
Dixon said defence came from staying true to the system and having faith in each other.
Dixon would get the start this week as he continues to swap the role with Liam Coltman.
Starting or coming off the bench was not a big issue for him, and he was used to it by now.
The best recipe for the Highlanders tonight is to get on top very early and then doubt will creep into the minds of the Blues players.
Like most underachieving teams at the higher level the Blues will get better if they stop making the silly mistakes which have plagued their games.
Errors come from pressure from the opposing team, so the Highlanders need to jump on the home team and squeeze them hard.
Isolated showers are forecast for Auckland.
The Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy is not up for grabs as it is is only played when the holder - the Highlanders - plays at home.