TONIGHT’S derby game is the second and final time Saints and Wigan Warriors will have met in Super League this year – but coach Paul Wellens still anticipates the old rivals’ paths crossing again in the knockouts.

Sixth-place Saints currently trail Wigan in third by two points but have a game in hand – but they could leapfrog their neighbours with a win tonight.

The likelihood of it being a home sell-out, with but a handful of tickets remaining last night, shows the enduring appeal of rugby league’s biggest and most traditional of derby matches.

The fixture takes place the week after both sides enjoyed contrasting fortunes at Magic, with Saints producing their best performance of the season so far with the Warriors arguably their worst.

It makes for an intriguing tussle, with Saints’ buoyancy thrown into the mix with a Wigan side licking their wounds and ready to post the sort of response they have posted in the past when crossing the hill as underdogs.

Wellens knows what Wigan will bring, not just tonight when bragging rights are at stake, but at the back end of the campaign.

He said: “We know how competitive they are and we obviously experienced that on Good Friday when we last played them.

“Like most teams in in the in the competition this year, they've had good patches, but they've also had periods where, by their own standards, they would like to have been better.

Since the days and Michael Maguire, through to Shaun Wane and now Matt Peet, Wigan’s strength has been their collective endeavour that has created a team greater than the sum of its parts.

Sprinkle in some individuals, who pace and footwork mark them out as matchwinners, and Saints know they will have a job to do this evening.

“They have players like Bevan French, Jai Field and Liam Marshalls who in broken field are really dangerous players who you have to handle,” Wellens said.

“Sometimes what you what you have to accept as a coach is that these players are going to have an influence on the game.

“They are going to have some kind of an impact. It's how you can limit that and we have to put some plans in place and be really diligent with our preparation and how we can do that.

“But certainly that doesn't mean to suggest that Wigan are an individualistic team.

"Their strength is built on their togetherness, how hard they work for each other. And you know, that's the biggest thing that we need to overcome this.

“The ingredients of any successful side or if you want to be successful is that you've got to have a togetherness and a selfless attitude and if you have too many individuals within a team who think about only themselves, then you are not going achieve success.

“The group that I'm coaching now is evidence of that in recent years. We certainly see that across the hill in Wigan.

“They've got a strong environment where players go there and drive. It speaks volumes for them as a club and obviously Matty Peet as their coach.”

Saints have their own strengths - as they demonstrated last Sunday with a complete performance at Magic.

They welcome back Morgan Knowles after a two-game ban, with the match being Jack Welsby’s 100th game in the red vee – a remarkable accomplishment by the age of 22.

The game at Saints' TWS kicks off at 8pm.

Hold on to your hats as it promises to be a noisy, raucus occasion with much more than two league points at stake.