The victor will head to the quarterfinals of the time-honoured knockout competition and have its name entered in the national draw early next week at New Zealand Football headquarters in Auckland.
Technical coach Aaron Burgess has enjoyed a solid week of preparation and his full-strength squad is excited about the fixture after coming off a sharp 2-0 win over FootballSouth Premier League leader Caversham.
This extended the club's winning streak to eight games, and morale appears high within the squad.
Technical looks sharp in the attacking third and athletic striker Tom McBride is an obvious target for his team-mates when pushing forward. His ability to maintain possession under pressure and transfer possession into attacking options will help determine Technical's chances on goal.
Leading scorer Taylor McCormack will look to latch on to any attacking passes and is sure to provide an examination of the University defence with his electric pace.
The students, in contrast, have not had such a smooth build-up, and several regulars are unavailable.
Missing from the starting XI will be captain Peter Overmire, on holiday leave, along with fellow centre back Logan Wrightwebb, who has exam commitments.
Brazilian goalkeeper Jef Potrich is a doubtful starter, due to work commitments, and central midfielder Rupert Mark will have the cast on his hand assessed by match officials before the game to confirm his ability to play.
Finishing off the long list of absentees is winger Sam Braisford, who is sick, and back-up keeper Liam Kennedy, who is unavailable due to bereavement.
One positive for the students will be the return of coach Luiz Uehara, who has been overseas for the past month.
University will look to consistent scorer Peter Rae, who has notched seven goals this season and was instrumental in University's last cup outing when it beat Timaru side Northern Hearts. His partnership up front with Tane Gent is maturing and spectators are sure to see some Brazilian-influenced flair in the attack.
In the FPL, Caversham will travel to Memorial Park to play Mosgiel, which is fresh off a quality performance against Northern. Green Island will host Queenstown Rovers at Sunnyvale, while home team Roslyn-Wakari and visitor Northern will meet at Ellis Park. Both clubs have many first-team regulars unavailable due to holidays.
Chatham Cup: Fourth round
Who: Dunedin Technical v Otago University.
Where: Caledonian Ground.
When: Today, 2pm.
