Preview: Huddersfield Giants vs Toulouse Olympique - Prediction, team news and lineups

There is a tasty basement battle brewing in the Super League this Saturday afternoon as the Huddersfield Giants welcome Toulouse Olympique to the Flair Stadium in Dewsbury.

Occupying the bottom two spots in the table, Saturday’s encounter marks a rare opportunity for both teams to pick up points.

Match preview

New Huddersfield Giants boss Jim Lenihan endured a baptism of fire a fortnight ago as he watched his team face a 52-0 thumping at the hands of Leeds Rhinos.

A total of nine tries were scored by the Headingley outfit, leaving Lenihan to ponder the vast scale of the job ahead of him.

In fairness to the former Giants player, he only had one training session with his players before the game against Leeds - not the ideal preparation when taking on one of the most in-form teams in the competition.

Last weekend’s Challenge Cup break has provided Lenihan with additional preparation time ahead of Saturday’s encounter against Toulouse, and the Aussie will be hoping for some kind of reaction.

Considering the Giants boast the worst attack and defence in the Super League, Lenihan clearly has a massive job on his hands, and he will not be helped by the fact his first home game will not actually take place at Huddersfield’s home ground.

The Super League side will instead play the fixture at the home of Dewsbury Rams, after the Accu Stadium was taken over by an 1980s tribute concert featuring Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley.

With that in mind, Huddersfield will hope to make their temporary home feel anything but a 'True' distraction, break 'Through the Barricades' and finally deliver a performance worth its weight in 'Gold'.

Toulouse Olympique were victorious on their last trip to the British shores, with the French outfit producing a 12-4 victory against Hull FC at the start of May.

That was just their third Super League win all season and second away from home - a run which leaves them 13th in the standings and just two points above the Giants.

Toulouse have since suffered back-to-back defeats against Warrington Wolves and Wakefield Trinity, though the performances themselves offered plenty of encouragement.

Sylvain Houles' side finished eight points adrift of Wire before pushing Wakefield all the way, mounting a late fightback that saw them close to within four points of the Trin.

Interestingly, Toulouse and Huddersfield have scored a similar number of points this season, but the major difference between the two sides lies at the other end of the field.

The French outfit have conceded 64 fewer points than the Giants in Super League this year, underlining the defensive resilience that could prove decisive when they head to Dewsbury this weekend.

Huddersfield Giants Super League form:

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Toulouse Olympique Super League form:

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Team News

Big news for Huddersfield ahead of the weekend is the return of George Flanagan Jr.

The full-back is one of five players to be welcomed back into the 21-man squad, with Taane Milne, Asher O’Donnell, Connor Wrench and Rom Burgess also appearing on the squad sheet.

Toulouse, on the other hand, could give Australian prop John Toleafoa his debut after signing the player from French side Albi.

There was more good news for Toulouse this week after the club agreed a contract extension with their academy graduate, Romeo Tropis.

The player is not in the 21-man squad for Saturday's game, but his recent breakthrough is certainly a positive sign for French rugby league.

Huddersfield Giants 21-man squad:

Evalds, Gagai, Milne, Lolohea, Powell, Woolford, Burgess, O’Donnell, Rushton, Rogers, English, King, Greenwood, Rush, Cozza, Flanagan Jr, Patolo, Wrench, Geyer, Kershaw, Jagger

Toulouse Olympique 21-man squad:

Ashall-Bott, Ulberg, Laguerre, Shorrocks, Hands, Roumanos, Jussaume, Marion, Cator, Bretherton, Butler, Rodriguez, Wallace, Gillam, O’Kane, Polselli, Garrigues, Rouge, Chan, Quai-Ward, Toleafoa