Yet both sides have transgressed by dropping unexpected points on the way.
Technical heads shook when Northern filched a draw, and similar results with Caversham and Roslyn-Wakari cost six points.
Caversham has also had a similar series of draws, with Grants Braes, Technical and Roslyn, but most damaging was the 1-1 result in Queenstown, especially after racking up an 8-1 home win early in the season at Tonga Park.
That Rovers result dropped coach Richard Murray's side two points adrift of top team Technical, with eight FPL matches to go.
Caversham was severely tested by Roslyn in last week's Chatham Cup. After dominating to go 3-0 up it had to hang on for stout 3-2 win.
Between the lines, Murray is looking at a diminished squad, with striker Tom Jackson sidelined, captain Seamus Ryder in Europe, and striker Ant Hancock carrying niggling injuries.
Aiming at another shelf of silverware, Technical - the current South Island champion and Footballsouth title holder - also has injuries and defections, but was confident enough to have star striker Aaron Burgess on the bench in last week's 2-0 cup win over Coastal Spirit.
Mainland reports credited Spirit with a dominant match, but Alistair Rickerby pounced after eight minutes, and the tall timber of Liam Lockhart felled Mainland hopes by scoring again.
Last time, the derby match produced a predictable 1-1 draw. On a good track at the Caledonian Ground, both teams have everything to play for.
Mosgiel recently battled to a 2-1 win over Grants Braes to continue its recovery. However, this week's opponent, Green Island, has its sights on another win that could see coach Malcolm Fleming's side move into third spot.
With home advantage, the Island will be a real handful unless the Plainsmen squeeze top matches out of Morgan Day, Reg Coldicott and Mike Abbott.
At Ellis Park, Roslyn-Wakari faces Northern, and if Colin Thom's team can replicate the energy and skill of last week's second half against Caversham, it should be no contest.
But there is an "if" tucked in there. Northern is a better team than its cellar tenancy suggests, and even when slapped 6-2 by the Island last week, Northern did score twice.
Bottom team Grants Braes has its back to the wall at Ocean Grove after recent indiscipline problems, and might remain on the ropes against a catch weight Varsity side, with coach Luiz Uehara's team suffering from student holiday defections.
