Wednesday 2 March 2016 14:26, UK
It's 11th v 12th in Super League this week - but you wouldn't believe that these two teams were top four finishers last season.
Leeds, of course, won the league, but Huddersfield also finished third in the regular season. Injuries have decimated both sides this season, ensuring neither club have won a game yet - so who will overcome the early season problems to notch that first win? We look at three crucial head-to-heads:
Watch out for the two number 3s this week. Two of England's finest centres, Kallum Watkins and Leroy Cudjoe are very similar in some respects - both coming through their respective clubs' academies before developing into key parts of the attack.
Teams often single out Watkins as Leeds' most dangerous player and it's easy to see why. Watkins is just as comfortable putting his winger through a gap with a deft offload as he is making a searing outside break. In 2015, his 30 clean breaks were the second highest recorded in the league, while his 47 offloads was the second best in a Rhinos shirt. Teams have marshalled him well so far in 2016, but there were signs against Catalans of what he can do, scoring twice in that defeat. Don't expect him to stay quiet for long. Give Watkins space at your own peril.
On the Huddersfield side, Cudjoe's been a regular part of the England squad in recent years, but he'll have been disappointed to miss out on making an appearance in the Test series against New Zealand. The Giants' strike centre laid on 16 assists last season and provided 31 offloads, the third most in the side. He doesn't score as many himself, just seven in 2015, but instead concentrates on creating opportunities for Jermaine McGillvary, one of the league's best finishers. It's been a quiet start for Cudjoe along with his team, no tries and no assists yet for the centre, but he's central to Paul Anderson's attacking plans. Watch out for the Cudjoe/McGillvary combination on Friday.
They lined up together in an England jersey last season, but on Friday night Ryan Hall and Jermaine McGillvary will be locking horns on their respective wings. Expect fireworks from that match-up!
Leeds' star studded backline contains England's highest try scorer in Hall. He's got 26 tries in his country's colours and the winger has proved time and time again he knows the way to the line. Top scorer last season with 19, he's also topped the Rhinos' seasonal charts another five times since his debut in 2007. His power in attack is also a useful weapon for Brian McDermott, with 2856 metres made and an average gain of 7.56m in 2015 impressive for any outside back. He's made yards in 2016 - 313 exactly, the third most in the Leeds side - but will want to see his tries for column going up - just two so far this season. But one of his most important scores came against Huddersfield to claim the League Leaders' Shield last season, so don't bet against him going over on Friday.
It will be difficult for Jermaine McGillvary to beat 2015. Super League's top scorer with 27, the flying winger also made his England debut in the third Test against New Zealand. And he impressed against the Kiwis too with strong kick returns. Not that McGillvary's kick returns are a mystery to Super League opposition; indeed he was the second highest metre maker in 2015 with 3888m. He's started 2016 in similar fashion with 285 metres made, the second most in the Huddersfield side. But McGillvary will be aiming to improve on his one try so far, especially considering his strike rate last season. So if Leeds are to win this one, they need to shut down McGillvary's kick returns and starve him of opportunities to get over the whitewash.
There's one person to keep a special eye on this Friday and that's the Leeds second row Brett Ferres. Off-field problems led to his transfer listing at Huddersfield and the Rhinos decided to bring him to Headingley. And you can be sure Ferres put a big ring round the fourth league game when the fixtures came out - the first clash against his old teammates.
Ferres has made a solid start to his Rhinos career, despite the poor form of his new club. Known for his work rate, he tops Leeds' tackle list with 113 and, more impressively, has only missed 15. Never afraid to get his hands dirty, Ferres has carried 52 times this season, the third best in the Rhinos ranks, while also making 328 metres, the second best in the side. Impressive stuff - and he can do plenty with the ball as well, 11 offloads the most for Leeds. Discipline might be a concern for Brian McDermott, as Ferres has conceded the most Rhinos penalties so far with four, but all the signs so far suggest the second rower is a very solid investment.
As for Huddersfield, they'll be looking to get an early shot on Ferres. And second row enforcer Ukuma Ta'ai could be the man to get stuck into the Leeds pack. He delivers consistently powerful performances for the Giants and his stats this season are no different. 97 tackles (third in the Huddersfield rankings), 241 metres (fourth in the Huddersfield rankings) and 7.53m average gain (also fourth in the Huddersfield rankings) show he's put his hand up for work despite his side's poor form. That's some impressive go-forward for a second rower. He also knows where the try line is too, indeed Ta'ai got over the whitewash in the first game of the season against St Helens, while he was Huddersfield's joint-third top scorer last season with 11. He could be the ace in the pack for the Giants come Friday night.
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