Friday 8 July 2016 17:17, UK
It's top versus bottom in Super League, but will the form table come into play when Leeds travel to Hull FC on Friday night?
The Rhinos know they're consigned to the Middle 8s after defeat to Widnes on Sunday, but they did beat the Airlie Birds at Headingley in one of just five wins this season.
Will they repeat that result? Here's three head to heads that could help decide the outcome...
There's an interesting story developing at hooker as Leeds will hand a debut to new signing James Segeyaro.
Should he start, he'll face a stiff test against one of Super League's masters of the dummy half position; Danny Houghton has been one of the driving forces behind Hull FC's run to the top of the table.
It's no surprise to see him topping the competition's tackle count, his 890 hits total 90 more than anyone else, and 359 more than anyone in a black and white shirt. He offers a direct threat from the play-the-ball area, darting 138 times - the third-most in Super League.
That danger with ball in hand has helped him create 14 tries for team-mates, the joint best in the Hull side alongside playmaker Marc Sneyd. Leeds were linked with a move for Houghton after losing Paul Aiton in the last off-season, so expect the hooker to show exactly what they missed out on come Friday night.
Leeds may have a new face in the No 9 position. James Segeyaro is in line to make his Super League debut, despite only landing in England on Monday night. He's signed from Penrith until the end of the season in a deal that saw Zak Hardaker go the other way.
Whether he remains at Headingley beyond that remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, Leeds could do with a shot in the arm from their new face. The current overseas hooker, Beau Falloon, has struggled for form since arriving in England, and with Leeds facing the Middle 8s, they need the Papua New Guinea international to live up to his billing.
Segeyaro was previously tipped to take Cameron Smith's Queensland jersey, so there's pressure on him to give Leeds a big lift as the season draws to a close.
Two English players featuring at full-back, but it's been a contrasting season for the pair.
Jamie Shaul missed FC's defeat to Huddersfield last week, and it might not be a coincidence that he was also absent when the Airlie Birds lost to Leeds earlier in the season.
His form has made him a key cog in Lee Radford's side and Shaul is expected to return this week after a niggling knee injury.
FC could do with their top scorer. Shaul's 13 tries this season is the most in the side, while his other stats in attack are equally impressive. He's made 2228 metres at an average gain of 9.77m a drive, as well as 75 tackle busts and 15 clean breaks.
Shaul tops the team's rankings in all four of those areas. He's been tipped for England honours by many given his 2016 form, though Shaul wasn't involved in a meeting of players with new coach Wayne Bennett last month.
Plenty of time for the full-back to prove Bennett wrong though, and he'll be eager to return with a bang against Leeds.
It's been a strange season for Liam Sutcliffe. Returning from a long term injury, he was expected to be Kevin Sinfield's successor in the halves for 2016, but Sutcliffe struggled to replicate his form from 2015, and now he finds himself replacing another important member of the treble-winning side - Zak Hardaker.
Sutcliffe has filled the full-back role in the last four games and he's expected to be given the opportunity to make it his own until the end of the season with Hardaker playing in the NRL. He's got the attributes to succeed in that position, possessing plenty of pace with an eye for a break, a handy attribute for kick returns.
Sutcliffe can also provide a link when breaking into the line, using his skills as a half-back to turn provider out wide. Defensively, he'll take some adjusting, but there are signs Sutcliffe is already growing into the role. How will he fair against the league leaders?
Both sides will need their forward packs dominating on Friday night for victory, and for Leeds there could be a boost in the second row.
For Hull FC, Mark Minichiello has been a solid performer this season. The 34-year-old is entering the twilight years of his career, and with Gareth Ellis missing last week and Frank Pritchard an injury doubt for this week, Minichiello will shoulder a lot of the responsibility.
He excels playing an attacking game, but Minichiello will be looking to make amends for a misplaced offload in his own 20 that eventually cost his side a try in last week's defeat to Huddersfield. But it's that sort of approach that has served Hull FC well in 2016.
Hi 65 tackle busts, the second best in FC colours, shows how strong the second row is with the ball, and he's also made 11 clean breaks, the third best in the side. So expect Minichiello to continue providing that attacking option going forward as FC look to put that defeat to the Giants right on Friday.
Leeds could welcome Carl Ablett back into the starting 13. He made his first appearance since April against Widnes, coming off the bench to mark his return.
And with Brett Ferres now a potential injury doubt for Friday, Ablett's return could not come at a more vital time. Leeds have missed his experience as a valuable member of the squad over the last decade and they've also missed his work rate in attack and defence.
His 248 tackles come at an average of 31 a game, while he's averaging 7.25 metres per drive in attack in his limited appearances this season. Leeds have undoubtedly missed their leaders, following the retirements of Sinfield, Peacock and Leuluai, and the long term absences of the likes of McGuire and Ablett have complicated matters.
So Brian McDermott will be hoping Ablett can put a good end of season run together to help the Rhinos out of their predicament.
