Waitakere, 10-0 winners over Tefana in round one, are in the same position as Auckland City - a win tomorrow would open a three-point lead over Ba and put them five clear of Tefana and Mont Dore.
While a win over Hekari is uppermost in the mind of City head coach Ramon Tribulietx and his players, there are other almost as pressing matters to consider.
On Thursday Tribulietx will name his final squad of 22 (from his 27-strong roster) to represent the club and Oceania at Fifa's Club World Cup.
He now knows who their second round (quarter-final) opponent will be, but not who they will face in the tournament opener - a game they must win if they are to continue.
In the draw, Auckland City or the yet-to-be-found J-League champion (who City face first-up), will play Concacaf's representative, Mexican club CF Monterrey.
"CF Monterrey is a fantastic team but we want to focus on the first game," said Tribulietx.
"Any of the teams would have been difficult but Monterrey is the best of that trio. Two years ago we played Atlante and they were top class.
"We have domestic and Oceania matches to play yet so our focus remains on Hekari United and Manawatu - and then we will worry about the J-League champions."
With Chad Coombes injured and out of today's game - but expected to be ready for the trip to Japan - James Pritchett can expect a recall.
"James has trained very well and has remained a key member of the squad and, yes, he is likely to play against Hekari," said Tribulietx.
Waitakere United coach Neil Emblen has a full squad to select from, and is all too aware of the danger posed by Ba in front of what is certain to be a vociferous crowd which, because of the strong Fijian presence in Auckland, will be backing the visitors.
"It is taking on the look of a home game for Ba," said Emblen. "We have to put that out of our minds and prepare properly."
Emblen said he was likely to delay naming his team until after a final training run this morning but he did not expect to make many changes.
"It is likely to be close to the team who played Tefana. In fact, 10 of the 11 players have played the first three games of the season.
"Until we had that bad result against our old rivals I would not really have considered making any changes, but we have had a look at it and will come up with a final decision on Saturday."
Roy Krishna, who plays for Ba's rival Labasa in the Fijian competition, will come in for plenty of attention but as he showed in scoring five goals in the romp over Tefana, on his day he can be a match-winner.
Emblen has watched a couple of DVDs of the Ba team in action and has been impressed. But he believes he does not need to change much for a game which he sees as pivotal in Waitakere's O-League campaign.
O-League
Champions League
Auckland City v Hekari United
* Kiwitea St
* Today 2pm
* Referee: Rakesh Varman (Fiji)
Waitakere United v Ba
* Fred Taylor Park
* Tomorrow 3pm
* Referee: Norbert Hauata (Tahiti).
