The Eels and Roosters are locked in the battle for spots in the bottom half of the top eight and a win here would be a huge stepping stone to September.
Trent Robinson's men got the better of the Eels in Magic Round but have lost three of four since that clash, while Parramatta will be reeling after an ambush at the hands of the Bulldogs on Sunday.
There were plenty of positives for the Roosters out of the loss to Melbourne but another concussion for playmaker Luke Keary put a dampener on the night.
The Eels welcomed back Maika Sivo at Accor Stadium but were outplayed and out-enthused by a Bulldogs side which started fast and never took the foot off the throttle.
The Rundown
Team news
Eels: Brad Arthur has called up rookie Ky Rodwell in place of forward Nathan Brown on the interchange bench when the team was reduced to 19 players 24 hours before kick-off. Maika Sivo made a successful return in his first NRL game since round 23 last year and will be better for the run.
Roosters: Luke Keary has been ruled out after suffering a concussion against the Storm. Hooker Sam Verrills makes his return from a collarbone injury. Paul Momirovski has been replaced in the centres by Billy Smith.
Egan Butcher has been added to the bench and Daniel Suluka-Fifita goes to the reserves.
Key match-up
Mitch Moses v Sam Walker: Two of the game's elite playmakers square off in a classic playmaking showdown. Moses' kicking game is among the best in the NRL and his combination with Dylan Brown has gone to a new level in 2022. Walker was always going to find it tough to live up to his sizzling rookie season but the 19-year-old has done a job with six try assists and six forced dropouts.
Stat Attack
Roosters fullback James Tedesco leads the NRL in tackle breaks with 85 from his 13 games at an average of 6.5 per game. Fellow Rooster Joey Manu is also in the top five with 67 tackle breaks. The Eels' leading tackle breaker is Isaiah Papali'i with 47, closely followed by Dylan Brown on 46.
Story first published on NRL.com