FC Sheriff need to beat former coach Mihai Stoichita if they are to make sure of keeping alive their hopes of progressing from Group H in the Europa League.
Stoichita takes his Steaua Bucharest side to Moldova for a clash of the bottom two clubs in the pool.
Neither is yet eliminated, but Steaua face long odds, needing to win their final two games and have FC Twente lose at home to Fenerbahce.
Sheriff's outlook is brighter. Victory, combined with a Twente loss, would put them in the top two.
"We are preparing for this like any other game," said coach Leonid Kuchuk. "We always work our hardest.
"We are not going to lose this match at home."
Steaua have taken only two points from four matches in the group stages, but Kuchuk is refusing to overlook them.
"I do not think there are any weak teams in the group," he said. "We have seen all the games and all the analysis of Steaua. We have seen they have many strengths."
Stoichita in many ways owes his job to Sheriff.
The Moldovan outfit failed to beat Steaua when they met earlier in the group, a 0-0 draw, but that was enough to prompt the Romanian team to sack Cristiano Bergodi and bring in Stoichita.
Despite the point, Sheriff came away from Bucharest disappointed with the result.
Asked his impressions of the Steaua players, Sheriff midfielder Constantine Arbenash said: "I did not stay to talk to any of the Steaua players because we were so upset about the result and quickly left the stadium."
Sheriff go into the game on the back of a 2-1 loss to FC Twente away, having beaten the Dutch club 2-0 at home for their only win of the group phase so far
Steaua, having opened the group stage with back-to-back goalless draws against Sheriff and Twente, then suffered two defeats at the hands of Fener prior to this match.
