Tonight Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn will go head-to-head in the first TV debate of the campaign.
The consensus is that Johnson has everything to lose and Corbyn has everything to gain.
Corbyn did better than expected in the 2017 election because he was, despite three years as Labour leader, relatively unknown.
This time voters are fully appraised of his personality traits and, if the polls are correct, they are not exactly impressed.
He has the lowest approval rating of any opposition leader since the Second World War.
To add to the Labour leader’s woes the polling shows he trails Johnson in the seats he needs to retain or win in order to have a chance of being Prime Minister.
Corbyn supporters entered this campaign in the expectation that lightning would strike twice.
They hoped that once the broadcast rules kicked and Labour was given the airtime to explain its policies there would be a change in its fortunes.
This may still happen but much could depend on tonight’s TV showdown in Greater Manchester.
The Labour leader needs to get people to reconsider their views on him or at least give his policies a fair hearing.
Thankfully, he has a near perfect foil in Johnson.
Corbyn’s dry humour, seriousness, compassion and deeply held views are in marked contrast to the flippancy, ebullience and insincerity of the mayfly Prime Minister.
It is perfectly possible that viewers may be won over by Johnson’s cavalier approach and the TV debate only cements Corbyn’s reputation as a dour Cromwellian.
Or the Labour leader may persuade people he is not the danger painted by the right-wing press and tonight will prove the moment when he starts to close the gap on his rival.
Corbyn is underrated as TV debater.
He did well in the Labour leadership hustings and in the 2017 televised events.
If nothing else, the optics of seeing the two candidates to be Prime Minister on the same stage will reinforce the message that a vote for the Lib Dems in a Labour-Tory marginal is a wasted vote.
It is a head-scratcher that Johnson agreed to take part in a head-to-head debate.
Either the Prime Minister has an arrogant faith in his own abilities or, which is less likely, he felt he was doing a service to democracy.
Both leaders know that a minor slip can have major consequences.
A trip while walking to the stage or a misjudged answer - remember Theresa May telling a nurse there was no magic money tree? - can end up defining the campaign.
Nine years’ ago Gordon Brown travelled to Manchester for the TV debate with David Cameron and Nick Clegg.
On the way he met Gillian Duffy .
Today's agenda:
9.30am - Green Party manifesto launch.
11am - John McDonnell speech in London on the economy.
8pm - ITV election debate.
What I am reading:
Tim Bale on why the Conservatives keep winning elections
