There are a rack of reasons why Hawkes Bay is favoured to beat Southern in Napier today.
Having won 11 of the last 14 encounters, Hawkes Bay must start favourite at home, unless Uehara can rewrite the script.
He did just that last week when he surprised most supporters in the season opener, benching who some thought were his most potent players, Brazilian Henrique Viana, German defender Jacob Schneider and homegrown hitman Regan Coldicott.
Without the ''stars'', Southern's energy and aggressive running in the first half against Waitakere put the second half in the shade. Even when those top players came on and showed better control, they did not create the chances the coach would have liked to see.
To be fair, Waitakere's increasing goal superiority helped it gain confidence, but it is clear that whoever ends up on the field must put in grunt as well as style.
In midfield, Patrick Ebanda's man-of-the-match performance for Southern was simple and effective, with calm and confident passing, and some powerful tackling thrown in as a bonus.
Unfortunately, Ebanda will not play today due to work commitments, and more experience will be absent as centre back Matt Joy is also unavailable.
So, it is again shuffle-the-pack time for coaches Uehara and Darren Hart as they make their team selection.
The team and tactics are likely to be quite different from last week. Instead of ploughing a lone furrow up front, Taylor McCormack could have support from target-man Dan Morris looking for some set-up play, and Viana looking to penetrate.
The Southern attack will have to be sharp and clever to breach a defence organised so well by Hawkes Bay coach Chris Greatholder that it only once relinquished three points at home last season, and ground out a series of draws to achieve its first semifinal placing.
The first goal will be of immense value, and Southern intends to commit bodies forward in search of that advantage.
At the back, keeper Tom Batty has shown dynamic form with emergency saves, but might appreciate more cover from a defence that was willing but too often left gaps.
In the battle for midfield places, Sam Mepham and Morgan Day return to join Aajay Cunningham, Peter Rae, Geordie Mansford and Cam Attwood, with Coldicott a wide option but capable of cutting in and scoring.
To thwart the Southern attack, Hawkes Bay will have former All White David Mulligan adding his international experience alongside tough defender Bill Robertson, and former Otago player Harley Rodeka could also line up against his old team-mates.
''We must be brave and confident to show the skills that our squad undoubtedly has, whether we are at home or away,'' Uehara said.
''Previous Otago teams have lost the last seven matches in Napier, so it's time for a change. And we can do it. The energy is there, the skill is there, and our combinations of play improve every week. The team is young but also has character enough to cause an upset.''
The other match today is between new entity Wanderers and Canterbury. Darren Bazely's young side is building for the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand in 2015, and Canterbury will be primed after losing its opening match to Waikato-Bay of Plenty last week.
ASB Premiership
Napier, today, 5pm
Southern United: Tom Batty, Nick Hindson, Peter Overmire, Sam Mepham, Aajay Cunningham, Regan Coldicott, Taylor McCormack, Peter Rae, Henrique Viana, Morgan Day, Geordie Mansford, Dan Morris, Campbell Higgins, Jacob Schneider, Tom Stevens, Campbell Attwood.
Hawkes Bay: Richard Gillespie, Aaron Jones, Ross Haviland, Bill Robertson, Tom Biss, David Mulligan, Matt Hastings, Sean Lovemore, Tom Mosquera, Jamie Mason, Grant Robson, Danny Wilson, Fergus Neil, Harley Rodeka, Sean Morris, Nathaniel Hailemariam, Matt Gould.
