Blues coach Leon MacDonald is backing the side that got him to this weekend's grand final to deliver Auckland a championship with an unchanged starting XV named to face the Crusaders.
MacDonald has gone with the same starting line-up that held on for a nail-biting 20-19 win over the Brumbies at Eden Park last week with slight changes being made to the bench.
It means Adrian Choat remains at openside flanker for the Blues as usual No.7 Dalton Papalii continues his return from appendix surgery. Papalii has been named in brackets on the bench as a chance to play on Saturday night alongside James Tucker.
MacDonald said a final decision on Papalii will likely be made on Thursday evening.
"He's got a few boxes to tick today, he's got to get through a big part of today's training and feel really confident," MacDonald said.
"It's a big game for him to have any doubts so we want him to come off the grass like he's ready to go."
MacDonald said Dalton was confident he'd play but they'd leave it up to the medical team for the final call.
With Papalii at best playing the game off the bench, star first-five Beauden Barrett will again captain the side.
The only other change to the matchday 23 sees Bryce Heem return to the bench as cover in the No.22 jersey.
Thursday's naming also means in-form winger Caleb Clarke will miss the match, unable to recover in time from the hamstring injury he sustained last month.
MacDonald said the team was looking forward to the challenge on Saturday with a sold-out Eden Park right behind them.
"This is set for a great occasion and is an opportunity to seal an excellent season in front of a full-house at Eden Park. We know what is at stake and we have prepared well," MacDonald said.
"That said, it is another game, and we need to buckle down, do the basics right, provide good front-foot ball for our backs, and focus on doing the basics right, with discipline both with and without the ball."
The unchanged line-up also means the Blues will be sticking with Nepo Laulala as their starting tighthead prop over Ofa Tuungafasi, who came off the bench last week to make a game-saving charge down against the Brumbies in the final minute of the game.
Blues vs Crusaders, Super Rugby Final (Blues caps in brackets):
1. Alex Hodgman (54)
2. Kurt Eklund (37)
3. Nepo Laulala (25)
4. Josh Goodhue (46)
5. Tom Robinson (44)
6. Akira Ioane (94)
7. Adrian Choat (19)
8. Hoskins Sotutu (36)
9. Finlay Christie (30)
10. Beauden Barrett (17)
11. AJ Lam (20)
12. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (11)
13. Rieko Ioane (85)
14. Mark Telea (38)
15. Stephen Perofeta (44)
16. Soane Vikena (14)
17. Karl Tu’inukuafe (42)
18. Ofa Tuungafasi (120)
19. Luke Romano (14)
20. Dalton Papalii (55) or James Tucker (11)
21. Sam Nock (50)
22. Bryce Heem (19)
23. Zarn Sullivan (18)
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