The Western Force will hope history repeats itself when they take on the Melbourne Rebels in their Super Rugby clash in Perth.
The Force's finals hopes are already on the ropes following a three-game losing streak.
The situation is reminiscent to last year, when the Force opened their season with two straight losses before fronting the Rebels in a crunch clash.
In that fixture, the Force scored four tries in the opening 27 minutes on the way to a crushing 32-7 win.
The triumph sparked a club-record five-match winning streak for the Force, paving the way for their best-ever season.
Wallabies No.8 Ben McCalman hopes Friday night will be a case of deja vu.
"We saw last year, this is the game which turned things around," McCalman said on Monday.
"Hopefully, we can repeat that and start a winning streak.
"It's a critical part of our season."
The Rebels opened their season with a shock win over the Crusaders in Christchurch, but losses to the Waratahs and Brumbies have sent them crashing back to earth.
A week off has given the Rebels time to restock, and they plan to come out firing against a Force outfit equally desperate for victory.
Force winger Nick Cummins scored a try in last week's 27-15 loss to the Brumbies in Canberra, and he'll be hoping for more white line fever in his first home game of the season.
"He brings a lot of energy for the fans, and also players as well," McCalman said of the "Honey Badger", who flew back from Japan only last month.
"It took him one game to come back and score a try.
"He seems to find them and finish our plays off well. Hopefully, we get a few more this week."
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