Preview: Gloucester Rugby vs. Saracens

Gloucester Rugby have to beat Aviva Premiership leaders Saracens at Kingsholm Stadium on Saturday if they are to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

The West Country outfit will go into the match five points adrift of the top four, but their dreams will officially come to an end if Northampton Saints defeat Sale Sharks.

Their task is made all the more difficult with a fixture against a Saracens side who have won their last six league games in a row.

The hosts have made a total of five changes as Koree Britton, Shaun Knight, Ben Morgan, Charlie Sharples and Henry Trinder all come into the starting XV.

Sarries introduces six new faces as they rest a number of players ahead of the playoffs, with Owen Farrell, Richard Wigglesworth and Steve Borthwick among those selected by director of rugby Mark McCall.

Recent form

Gloucester: WLWWLL

Saracens: WLWWWW

Lineups

Gloucester: Goode, Wyles, Tomkins, Farrell, Strettle, Hodgson, Wigglesworth, Joubert, Fraser, Wray, Hargreaves, Borthwick, Stevens, Smit, Gill Replacements: George, Vunipola, Nieto, Kruis, Burger, Spencer, Taylor, Maddock

Saracens: Cook, Sharples, Trinder, Twelvetrees, May, Burns, Robson, Wood, Britton, Knight, Savage, Lokotui, Kalamafoni, Qera, Morgan Replacements: D'Apice, Murphy, Thomas, Buxton, Hazell, Lewis, Mills, Thomas

Sports Mole says: Saracens to continue their winning run