Pool One
Bath ready to make unprecedented request for Toulouse replay
Freddie Burns gets an instant chance to make amends and starts for Bath at fly-half a week after his horror show against Toulouse. Bath’s other 10, Rhys Priestland, is absent, having picked up a knee ligament injury which has ruled him out for up to eight weeks. Jamie Roberts is also out after sustaining a head injury but Bath welcome back Joe Cokanasiga for an all-English clash neither side can afford to lose. The England head coach, Eddie Jones, will be in attendance to watch Zach Mercer stake his claim for the national No 8 jersey while Brad Shields, another England back-row hopeful, lines up in an unchanged Wasps XV from the side that was thumped by Leinster last Friday. Joe Tomane replaces Rob Kearney for the defending champions for their trip to the south of France while Romain Ntamack makes a first Champions Cup start for Toulouse.
Bath v Wasps Saturday 3.15pm
Toulouse v Leinster Saturday 4.15pm
Pool Two
Jake Polledri: ‘Being rejected by Bristol spurred me on even more’
Ed Slater returns as captain for Gloucester, meaning Gerbrandt Grobler must make do with a place on the bench against his former side Munster. Matt Banahan also comes into the side on the wing in place of Charlie Sharples. Munster, who drew at Exeter last week, make four changes, all of which come in the pack, with Tommy O’Donnell returning in the back row. Exeter, meanwhile, have a new-look second-row combination with Wilhelm van der Sluys making his first European start for the Chiefs alongside Ollie Atkins. Tom Lawday also comes in at No 8 for the trip to Castres. The French champions have made four changes after their defeat by Gloucester at Kingsholm, with the former Leicester second-row Steve Mafi among those coming into the side at the Stade Pierre-Fabre where Castres have a strong recent record against English opposition.
Munster v Gloucester Saturday 1pm
Castres v Exeter Saturday 2pm
Pool Three
Saracens are counting the cost of their bruising win over Glasgow Warriors last weekend with four of their England contingent absent: the Vunipola brothers and Nick Isiekwe miss out through injury, while Alex Lozowski is suspended. As a result Richard Barrington and Jackson Wray come into the pack while Nick Tompkins is named at outside centre. Liam Williams also returns and Ben Spencer is selected at scrum-half. For Lyon Carl Fearns is named on the bench. In the other match Glasgow are boosted by the return of Tommy Seymour at full-back and a first start of the season for Scotland’s new call-up Sam Johnson for their trip to Cardiff Blues, who were such impressive winners over Lyon last time out. For the Blues, Nick Williams returns to the back row while Aled Summerhill replaces Owen Lane, who was ruled out of Wales’s autumn internationals this week with a hamstring injury.
Saracens v Lyon Saturday 5.30pm
Cardiff Blues v Glasgow Saturday 3.15pm
Pool Four
Racing 92 welcome back the France speedster Teddy Thomas on the wing for the visit of Ulster as they look to take a stranglehold of the pool following last weekend’s narrow victory over the Scarlets in west Wales. Last season’s losing finalists are without the Irish lock Donnacha Ryan but the highly rated 18-year-old back-row Jordan Joseph – among France’s U20 World Cup winners this summer – is on the replacements’ bench and in line for a first European appearance. For Ulster the scrum-half John Cooney is absent after picking up an AC joint injury in last weekend’s wet and windy win over Leicester. He is replaced by David Shanahan in one of three changes to the side. The others see Marty Moore, who impressed as a replacement in Belfast, come into the front row while Kieran Treadwell gets the nod at lock as Ulster take on Racing for the first time in Europe.
Racing 92 v Ulster Saturday 6.30pm
Pool Five
Newcastle have made three changes to the side that claimed a historic victory away at Toulon last Sunday with Niki Goneva making a welcome return on the right wing. His Fijian compatriot Nemani Nagusa has missed out through injury, however, so Ryan Burrows comes in at No 8. In the other change made by Dean Richards, Calum Green replaces Will Witty at lock. Their opponents, Montpellier, are boosted by the return of the All Blacks fly-half Aaron Cruden, allowing Ruan Pienaar to switch back to scrum-half. Toulon ring the changes with Mathieu Bastareaud making his first appearance since a five-week ban for striking Castres’ Christophe Samson. Malakai Fekitoa, linked with Wasps, also comes in but Guilhem Guirado misses out. Edinburgh’s sole change sees Jaco van der Walt start at No 10 as Richard Cockerill faces the club he guided to the 2017 Top14 final.
Edinburgh v Toulon Saturday 3.15pm
Newcastle v Montpellier Saturday 1pm