Parramatta Stadium, Saturday 5.30pm (AEDT)

Last meeting: Round 2 2012 - Warriors 36 bt Eels 20 at Parramatta Stadium

Head-to-head: Eels 17 Warriors 13 drawn

Referees: Jared Maxwell, Adam Gee

TV: FoxSports 1, live

TAB Sportsbet: Eels $1.80 Warriors $2.00

FootyTab: Warriors +1.5

Phil Mitchell's preview: Few clubs were as glad to see the back of last season as Parramatta and the Warriors. The Eels crashed to their first wooden spoon in 40 years, resulting in the sacking of coach Stephen Kearney and the appointment of Ricky Stuart. While the Warriors didn't quite plumb the same depths as the Eels, their end-of-season capitulation was embarrassing. They were well in finals contention before losing their final eight games - including a couple of fearful hammerings by Cronulla (45-4) and North Queensland (52-12) - to finish 14th.

Like Kearney, Warriors coach Brian McClennan was sent packing before the end of his season, and eventually replaced by Matthew Elliott. Stuart and Elliott have a long list of challenges ahead of them, not least of which is getting the best out of their respective halfbacks Chris Sandow and Shaun Johnson, who both had 2012 seasons they would rather forget. Whoever gets the better of that battle on Saturday night will probably walk away a winner.

Late Mail: The Eels are likely to remain the way Ricky Stuart announced his side on Tuesday.