A place in the South Island championship play-offs is at stake at the Caledonian ground and should provide pressure enough in the premier league fixture.
But more coals have been heaped on the fires of rivalry since Dunedin Technical trained at Bayfield this week when an official edict from the Dunedin City Council generally forbade training on its grounds.
Technical's treatment generated an inquiry from Caversham as to why this was allowed, and coach Steve Fleming feels aggrieved his match preparation was limited to indoor sessions.
"The reason given for Tech's dispensation was their Chatham Cup match in a fortnight.
Our concern is for this Saturday's match - a critical league championship game which so happens to be against Technical, and we, too, would have preferred outside training facilities," Fleming said.
Technical's Steve Dunn said his club needed an outside ground to prepare for the Chatham Cup semifinal, so asked the DCC for permission.
The council offered the use of Bayfield and Tech "gladly accepted", Dunn said.
General manager Wilson James said the situation was not covered in the Soccersouth rulebook but he would have appreciated hearing about it sooner.
There was a possibility Caversham could have been offered the same opportunity to use an outdoor ground for training.
Regardless of any sense of injustice, coach Fleming has more immediate things on his mind with midfielder Robbie Deeley suspended, Darren Overton and Tim Horner facing late fitness tests, and son Patrick Fleming playing his last game before returning to the United States.
Technical once again will try not to be distracted by future Chatham Cup commitments, and to focus on a league match that, if lost, could drop Mike Fridge's side to 10 points behind SPL leader Caversham.
Fridge will be without Mike Cunningham, who returns to the US this weekend.
"A win will keep us within four points of Caversham with a game in hand, so we recognise the importance of this fixture," Fridge said.
Other important games feature Mosgiel (19 points) and Queenstown (16) at Memorial Park, while Roslyn-Wakari (25) hosts Green Island (14) at Ellis Park.
The early game at the Caledonian ground has University looking to improve on its four-point total against Northern.
At Ocean Grove, Grants Braes plays Spirit FC.
