Hull KR coach Craig Sandercock believes his side will have to overcome an early Hull FC onslaught if they are to win the Magic Weekend derby.
Having lost at home to Wakefield and Wigan, Hull haven't had the best preparations for the season's second derby.
Rovers are hardly in great form themselves after picking up one point from their last three matches, and Sandercock is expecting a pulsating start at the Etihad as both sides look to ignite their fans.
With that in mind, the Aussie has warned his players they must be ready for whatever Lee Radford's side throw at them in the early stages.
"I expect the first 20 minutes will be a good physical battle," Sandercock told the Mail.
"If we're not prepared for that then it's going to be a hard day at the office for us.
"They are virtually at full strength but it's about what we do.
"There's a few things we need to tidy up in our game and a few things we need to do better. That's our main focus going into the game."
Rovers were disappointed to see Salford come from 16-10 down to secure a draw last weekend after Widnes pinched two points a week earlier.
A number of controversial decisions also played their part in KR's draw, but Sandercock is placing emphasis on his side's improvements.
"We have to make sure we execute well and complete our sets," he said.
"That will be the key and that's what let us down at Salford, especially when we were playing well but we came up with some unforced errors. We need to make sure we get to our kicks against Hull.
"Let's hope the referees aren't that important. Obviously, both sides would prefer the game to be decided on the performance by the teams on the pitch. For us it's about our performance, and if we perform the best we can then we're hoping to send the fans home happy."
