Coach Brad Arthur claims Parramatta are just as desperate for an Easter victory as the winless Wests Tigers, who are hoping recent history will repeat itself at Accor Stadium.
The annual Easter Monday fixture finds the Tigers languishing at the bottom of the ladder with five consecutive losses and the Eels chasing consistency after a tough draw to start the year.
The Tigers entered the corresponding clash last year winless as well, but a Jackson Hastings field goal clinched a surprise one-point victory over the Eels, who sat in fourth place.
While Arthur said he had given little thought to last Easter's defeat, he noted an important distinction for this year's Eels given four tight losses in the first five weeks of the season.
"The situation's a bit different this time around. We're just as desperate as they are," he said.
"We haven't talked about (last year) but I'm sure it's in the back of everyone's minds.
"We're certainly not at panic stations but we are aware we need to win.
"At the end of the day, we've been close in all those contests but you need to bank two points regularly."
The Easter Monday game will be Haze Dunster's first at NRL level since suffering a knee injury in last year's pre-season trials.
Dunster ruptured his PCL, ACL and MCL in a hip-drop tackle, the illegal move that has reappeared on the NRL agenda after three instances across last Sunday's two games.
Bailey Simonsson's suspension opened the door for Dunster's return, Arthur lauding the winger for his commitment on the long journey back.
"He's trained really hard and it was a really big injury. It's been a long time," he said.
"He's done a really good job in (NSW) Cup and he's ready to play now."
The Eels' reigning player of the year Shaun Lane returns from a jaw injury and will replenish a back-row that cried out for experience on the Eels' tough fixture to begin the season.
But Arthur said Lane, in his 100th Eels game, must not be relied upon to carry his greener teammates.
"It's going to easier when he can actually show them what the role of a back-rower is in our team and our club," Arthur said.
"He's a big body, he's hard to tackle so we just want to make sure he's getting a lot of carries in for us.
"But our expectations of Shaun can't be too great either too quickly. He's missed a fair bit of footy."
