Warwickshire and North Midlands are set for their winner-takes-all County Championship Bill Beaumont Cup Division Two North group match at Rugby Lions on Saturday May 22.
The local rivals are both unbeaten after two rounds of matches but the winner of the final group match will progress to the final, away to the winner of the South group, on May 29.
A draw will be enough to take North Midlands through on superior points difference, after they trounced Eastern Counties 87-10 at Stourbridge last week, but Warwickshire coach Pete Glacken hopes the fighting spirit his players showed at Durham last week, will see them through.
Warwickshire won 29-27 at Gateshead after being 27-7 down at one stage with Nuneaton scrum-half Huw Thomas sealing the win with a touchline conversion of Rugby Lions centre Matt Goode's try.
"We played some fantastic rugby in the last 20 minutes and it said a lot about the spirit and character of our squad that we came back to win," said Glacken.
"We've had different selection issues this year to recent years because we have had around 35 players at every training session.
"We've got lots of players who want to play for Warwickshire which means that we are picking from strength instead of scratching around to raise a side.
"We know that North Midlands are going to be strong and they will have a lot of players from clubs in higher leagues in their squad.
"But we are happy with our preparations and we hope that the character we showed last week will stand us in good stead."
Glacken used to play alongside North Midlands head coach Alan Hubbleday at Birmingham & Solihull. "It's pretty much become knock-out rugby and anything can happen in that situation," said Hubbleday.
Though North Midlands trounced Eastern Counties and Warwickshire only beat the same opponents 24-8, Hubbleday believes those results should not be used as a reliable form-line.
"I don't think you should read anything at all into the results against Eastern Counties," he said. "From what I hear Warwickshire could have scored a few more tries against them and we know that if our mindset is not right this week we will get turned over."
Warwickshire have made four changes to their starting XV with Earlsdon's Todd Freemantle promoted off the bench to partner Goode, brother of England fly-half Andy, in the centre.
Broadstreet back-row forward Nigel Mukarati and Rugby Lions hooker Matt Price come into the pack with Tom Harris displacing his Rugby Lions team-mate Jeff Gregson on the wing.
North Midlands will also be forced to make changes because former England Under-18 flanker Guy Thompson (Hereford), prop Craig Voisey (Rotherham), hooker Dan Oselton (Moseley) and lock Gareth Taylor (Malvern) are unavailable.
Anthony Marfell (Luctonians) , Dale Garner (Birmingham & Solihull), Simon Daws (Malvern) and Will Betts (Birminmgham & Solihull) are the likely replacements.
Flanker Robin Le Coq (Whitchurch and Harper Adams University) is also expected to be included in the squad for the first time having been voted Shropshire's Player of the Tournament in the recent RLF North Midlands Championship.
