| Venue: Ashton Gate Date: Friday, 7 January Kick-off: 19:45 GMT Coverage: Updates on BBC local radio and live scores on the BBC Sport website |
Bristol make three changes for the visit of Sale from the side which narrowly lost at Exeter last weekend.
Max Lahiff returns to their front row, with John Hawkins at lock and Henry Purdy on the wing as Luke Morahan switches to full-back.
Sale have just the one change from the team that started the win against Wasps as British and Irish Lion Tom Curry returns to their back row.
He comes in for his twin brother Ben who drops to the bench.
Bristol have lost their past four Premiership fixtures but have picked up a losing bonus point in the past two.
Sale’s three wins in the league since the end of September have all come at home but their last away victory came at Bristol’s west country neighbours Bath in May.
Sale fly-half AJ MacGinty will line up against the side he will be joining from next season.
Referee Wayne Barnes also takes charge of his 250th Premiership match after his originally-scheduled landmark appearance on Monday between London Irish and Bath was cancelled due to Covid-19 cases among the Bath squad.
Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam told BBC Radio Bristol:
“There’s quality players in that Sale team and they had a great win recently against Wasps.
“It’s always about when you play a quality team that you look at how they’ve been performing in the past two or three games rather than the whole season.
“It’s such a long season and teams ebb and flow in and out of form and at the moment, they’re in good form.
“It’s about our performance, if we get that right, the win will take care of itself. If we add some grit to that, we’ll be a much better team.”
Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson told BBC Radio Manchester:
“You’ve got to be aware of the danger Bristol have. If you kick loose to them, give away sloppy ball or you switch off even five metres from their tryline, they’ll burn you.
“We want to bring them to a fight. That’s what happened at our place, it was 0-0 at half-time before we turned them over.
“The more occasions we can make it into a physical battle and a proper fight, the better it’ll be for us.”
Bristol: Morahan; Lloyd, Radradra, Bedlow, Purdy; Sheedy, Randall; Lahiff, Thacker, Sinckler, Joyce (capt), Hawkins, Vui, D Thomas, Harding.
Replacements: Capon, Woolmore, Afoa, Holmes, Heenan, Uren, O’Conor, Bates.
Sale: L James; McGuigan, R du Preez, Van Rensburg, Yarde; MacGinty, Cliff; Rodd, Ashman, Schonert, J-L du Preez, De Jager, Ross (capt), T Curry, D du Preez.
Replacements: Taylor, McIntyre, Oosthuizen, J-P du Preez, B Curry, Warr, S James, Hammersley.
Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU).
