Leicester head coach Steve Borthwick says his side are “massive underdogs” for their Challenge Cup final against French side Montpellier at Twickenham.

Richard Wigglesworth is named at scrum-half for Leicester, who also bring Cyle Brink and Guy Porter into their XV.

Montpellier include on-loan Saracens fly-half Alex Lozowski and ex-France captain Guilem Guirado in their side.

“We know we’re against a very good team, a star-studded team, a very expensive team, I think, [but] we’ll do our best,” Borthwick told BBC Radio Leicester.

“They’ve been on this incredible run through the Top 14, packed full of internationals throughout their team, so we go into this as massive underdogs.”

Leicester are vying for their third European trophy, having been the first back-to-back winners of the European Cup in 2001 and 2002.

Victory on Friday would make them the fifth club in the history of European competition – after Bath, Leinster, Northampton and Wasps – to win both the European Cup and Challenge Cup.

“What we need to do is be clear on our plan, do the basics unbelievably well and work unbelievably hard – that puts us in a position to compete,” said former England captain and forwards coach Borthwick.

Ben Youngs is left on the bench for Leicester, who make four changes to the strong side that beat Harlequins last weekend.

Lozowski reflects on ‘rollercoaster’ season

Lozowski was one of a number of high-profile Sarries players who spent this season out on loan following their relegation to the Championship for breaking salary cap rules.

He has been part of a Montpellier side that found themselves towards the bottom of the Top 14 going into February, though they had won five league games in a row prior to losing at Stade Francais with a weakened team last weekend.

“I’d say the best way to describe it would be a rollercoaster,” said the 27-year old England international.

“It’s been well-documented in France how tricky the first part of the season was for us, with some very close defeats.

“We found ourselves at the wrong end of the table but, having said that, we made a few changes to the way we want to play and since then the results have been much, much better.”

Lozowski is joined by the likes of Anthony Bouthier, Arthur Vincent, Mohamed Haouas and Paul Willemse in the Montpellier starting line-up.

South African stars Bismarck du Plessis, Cobus Reinach and Handre Pollard are on a bench that also includes former Saracens prop Titi Lamositele.

Lozowski says he has tried to share his knowledge of some of the Leicester players with his team-mates but refutes the view that the French side are favourites to bring home the trophy.

“I’ve certainly not heard too much about us being favourites but the boys are desperately keen to finish the season on a high,” he said.

Leicester: Steward; Porter, Moroni, Kelly, Nadolo; Ford, Wigglesworth; Genge, T Youngs (capt), Cole, Wells, Green, Liebenberg, Brink, Wiese

Replacements: Clare, De Bruin, Heyes, Henderson, Reffell, B Youngs, Henry, Murimurivalu

Montpellier: Bouthier; Vincent, Goosen, Serfontein, Rattez; Lozowski, Paillaugue; Forletta, Guirado (capt), Haouas, Verhaeghe, Willemse, Ouedraogo, Camara, Becognee.

Replacements: B du Plessis, Rodgers, Lamositele, Duguid, J du Plessis, Reinach, Pollard, N’gandebe

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ire)

Touch judges: Frank Murphy (Ire), Chris Busby (Ire)

TMO: Brian McNeice (Ire)