Stade Francais Paris v Benetton Treviso
Stade Francais notched a bonus-point victory over Benetton Treviso last week to keep their Champions Cup hopes alive, and in a pool containing Leicester Tigers and Munster, they need the same result again here.
The 50-17 win in Treviso was Stade Francais' 17th straight triumph over Italian opposition in Europe and they are simply supreme at home - they have won 35 of their 37 Champions Cup fixtures on their own ground.
Indeed, the Italians will need to break an away-day losing streak that extends all the way back to 2007 in the competition.
Stade have rung the changes with South Africa fly-half Morne Steyn starting at ten, while Italy captain Sergio Parisse goes against his compatriots.
Stade Francais: 15 Hugo Bonneval, 14 Josaia Raisuqe, 13 Geoffrey Doumayrou, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Djibril Camara, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Julien Tomas, 1 Emmanuel Felsina, 2 Laurent Sempere, 3 Rabah Slimani, 4 Hugh Pyle, 5 Paul Gabrillagues, 6 Raphael Lakafia 7 Sylvain Nicolas, 8 Sergio Parisse
Replacements: 16 Laurent Panis, 17 Zurabi Zhvania, 18 Paul Alo Emile, 19 Gehard Mostert, 20 Jono Ross, 21 Clement Daguin, 22 Meyer Bosman, 23 Waisea Nayacalevu
Benetton Treviso: 15 Simone Ragusi, 14 Andrea Pratichetti, 13 Enricho Bacchin, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Tommaso Iannone, 10 Jayden Hayward, 9 Christopher Smylie, 1 Alberto de Marchi, 2 Roberto Santamaria, 3 Salesi Manu, 4 Marco Lazzaroni, 5 Tom Palmer, 6 Marco Barbini, 7 Alessandro Zanni, 8 Abraham Jurgens Steyn
Replacements: 16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Matteo Zanusso, 18 Rupert Harden, 19 Filo Paulo, 20 Marco Fuser, 21 Robert Barbieri, 22 Samuel Christie, 23 James Ambrosini
Saturday 19th December, kick-off 16:15
Leinster v Toulon
Leinster will attempt to salvage their Champions Cup campaign, and at the very least some pride, when they welcome champions Toulon to the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
After three opening defeats, Leo Cullen's men are staring down the barrel at only their second non-appearance in the knockouts in 12 years - and Toulon are not exactly having the best of times of it either.
A 32-6 defeat at the hands of Wasps has set them back in a proverbial group of death that also houses Bath, though they are undefeated in their last three games against Leinster.
Dave Kearney and Eoin Reddan come into Leinster's starting XV in place of Fergus McFadden and Isaac Boss respectively, who could not shake off minor injuries in time.
Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Dave Kearney, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Luke Fitzgerald, 11 Isa Nacewa, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Eoin Reddan, 1 Jack McGrath, 2 Richardt Strauss, 3 Mike Ross, 4 Devin Toner, 5 Mike McCarthy, 6 Rhys Ruddock, 7 Josh van Der Flier, 8 Jamie Heaslip
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Michael Bent, 18 Martin Moore, 19 Tom Denton, 20 Jordi Murphy, 21 Nick McCarthy, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Zane Kirchner
Toulon: 15 Delon Armitage, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau 9 Eric Escande, 1 Florian Fresia, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 3 Matt Stevens, 4 Jocelino Suta, 5 Romain Taofifenua, 6 Juan Smith, 7 Steffon Armitage, 8 Duane Vermeulen
Replacements: 16 Anthony Etrillard, 17 Xavier Chiocci, 18 Levan Chilachava, 19 Mamuka Gorgodze, 20 Juan Fernandez Lobbe, 21 Tom Taylor, 22 Sebastien Tillous-Borde, 23 Konstantin Mikautadze
Saturday 19th December, kick-off 17:15
Bordeaux v Ospreys
Ospreys have shown no fear on the road against French opposition this year after taking two bonus points away from Clermont Auvergne, and they head to a Bordeaux-Begles side bottom of Pool 1.
However, they will need to start turning losses into wins when they play in France, having been defeated in their last nine games in the country.
Steve Tandy's men sneaked an important win over Bordeaux at home last weekend and will likely need a victory this week too with Exeter Chiefs also going strong.
Bordeaux have conceded more penalties per game (15) than any other side this season but will be boosted by handing a debut to Australia star Adam Ashley-Cooper.
But Ospreys have been strengthened by the return of Jeff Hassler, Ben John and Tom Habberfield to the backs.
Bordeaux: 15 Jean-Marcellin Buttin, 14 Metuisela Talebula, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Julien Rey, 11 Sofiane Guitoune, 10 Pierre Bernard, 9 Heini Adams, 1 Jefferson Poirot, 2 Clement Maynadier, 3 Sekope Kepu, 4 Julien Le Devedec, 5 Berend Botha, 6 Louis Madaule, 7 Matthew Clarkin 8 Marco Tauleigne
Replacements: 16 Ole Avei, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19 Jandre Marais, 20 Loann Goujon, 21 Yann Lesgourges, 22 Baptiste Serin, 23 Darly Domvo
Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Ben John, 12 Josh Matevesi, 11 Eli Walker, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Thomas Habberfield, 1 Paul James, 2 Scott Baldwin, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 4 Lloyd Ashley, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 6 Dan Lydiate, 7 Justin Tipuric, 8 James King
Replacements: 16 Sam Parry, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Rory Thornton, 20 Dan Baker, 21 Martin Roberts, 22 Sam Davies, 23 Hanno Dirksen
Saturday 19th December, kick-off 18:15
Scarlets v Glasgow Warriors
Glasgow Warriors won their first-ever match over Scarlets in the champions in resounding fashion last week - a 43-6 triumph - but Wayne Pivac and company will be hoping their luck turns at home.
While the knock-out stages are now out of the picture for the West Walians, having taken just one point from three games, while the Warriors are playing catch up too behind Racing 92 and Northampton Saints in Pool 3.
Parc y Scarlets is a fortress at the worst of times and coming back into the team is Canadian wing and former Warrior DTH van der Merwe, as do Jake Ball and Rob Evans.
Meanwhile, Glasgow loosehead Alex Allan is in their starting XV for the first time since October, while Scotland star Tommy Seymour starts at full-back for the second time this season.
Scarlets: 15 Mike Collins, 14 Steff Evans, 13 Gareth Owen 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Aled Thomas, 9 Gareth Davies, 1 Rob Evans, 2 Emyr Phillips, 3 Samson lee, 4 Jake Ball, 5 Maselino Paulino 6 Lewis Rawlins, 7 Jack Condy, 8 Morgan Allen
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Wyn Jones, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 George Earle, 20 Tom Price, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Steven Shingler, 23 Harry Robinson
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Tommy Seymour, 14 Taqele Naiyarvoro, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Mike Blair, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Mike Blair, 1 Alex Allan, 2 Fraser Brown, 3 Sila Puafisi, 4 Leone Nakarawa, 5 Jonny Gray, 6 Rob Harley, 7 Simone Favaro, 8 Josh Strauss
Replacements: 16 Shalva Mamukashvili, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 Tim Swinson, 20 Ryan Wilson, 21 Grayson Hart, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Lee Jones
Saturday 19th December, kick-off 19:45
CHALLENGE CUP
Edinburgh v London Irish
This clash will pit Scotland back-rowers John Hardie and Blair Cowan against each other at blindside flanker, as Edinburgh look for a pick-me-up following their defeat to London Irish in Round Three.
The Exiles put six tries past Edinburgh to ascend to the top of the pool, while Edinburgh sunk down to third - therefore there's a lot on the line when they head to BT Murrayfield.
Irish will be aiming to win Challenge Cup fixtures in back-to-back rounds for the first time since 2008, but Edinburgh are imperious at home.
They have won their last six games on their own turf in the competition and make ten changes, including the return of Scotland scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Clyne.
Edinburgh: 15 Greig Tonks, 14 Damien Hoyland, 13 Michael Allen, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Tom Brown, 10 Phil Burleigh, 9 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 1 Rory Sutherland, 2 Ross Ford, 3 WP Nel, 4 Anton Bresler, 5 Alex Toolis, 6 Mike Coman, 7 John Hardie, 8 Cornell Du Preez,
Replacements: 16 Neil Cochrane, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Jamie Ritchie, 20 Magnus Bradbury, 21 Sean Kennedy, 22 Andries Strauss, 23 Jack Cuthbert
London Irish: 15 Topsy Ojo, 14 Alex Lewington, 13 Tom Fowlie, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Andrew Fenby, 10 Shane Geraghty, 9 Darren Allinson, 1 Tom Court, 2 Gerard Ellis, 3 Ben Franks, 4 Eoin Sheriff, 5 Nic Rouse, 6 Blair Cowan, 7 Conor Gilsenan, 8 Ofisa Treviranus
Replacements: 16 Jimmy Stevens, 17 Tom Smallbone, 18 Leo Halavatau, 19 David Sisi, 20 Joe Trayfoot, 21 Scott Steele, 22 Chris Noakes, 23 Fergus Mulchrone
Friday 18th December, kick-off 19:30
Zebre v La Rochelle
It's the proverbial must-win for Zebre, who must catch up with Gloucester and Worcester Warriors in Pool 4 before it is too late.
They just lost out on a bonus point to La Rochelle away from home but certainly have what it takes to turn them over at home, having beaten Worcester at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Round Two.
Victory here would be Zebre's third straight victory in the competition at home, though La Rochelle are undefeated in their last seven Challenge Cup fixtures against Italian opponents.
Zebre: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Dion Berryman, 13 Tommaso Boni, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Leonardo Sarto, 10 Edoardo Padovani, 9 Luke Burgess, 1 Andrea Lovotti, 2 Tommaso D'Apice, 3 Pietro Ceccarelli, 4 Marco Bortolami, 5 George Biagi, 6 Jacopo Sarto, 7 Johan Meyer, 8 Paul Derbyshire
Replacements: 16 Oliviero Fabiani, 17 Andrea de Marchi, 18 Guillermo Roan, 19 Valerio Bernabo, 20 Federico Ruzza, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Giulio Bisegni, 23 Carlo Canna
La Rochelle: 15 Kimi Murimurivalu, 14 Gabriel Lacroix, 13 Pierre Aguillon, 12 Malietoa Hingano, 11 Benjamin Lapeyre, 10 Charles Bouldoire, 9 Ricky Januarie, 1 Vincent Pelo, 2 Maxime Gau, 3 Gagi Bazadze, 4 Jason Eaton, 5 Leo Cedaro, 6 Romain Sazy, 7 Zeno Kieft, 8 Jone Qovu
Replacements: 16 David Roumieu, 17 Thomas Synaeghel, 18 Lekso Kaulashvili, 19 Damien Lagrange, 20 Kevin Gourdon, 21 Jules Lebail, 22 Elliot Roudil, 23 Kamilieni Raivono
Saturday 19th December, kick-off 15:00
Pau v Newport Gwent Dragons
With Sale Sharks just behind and Castres also lurking in Pool Two, Newport Gwent Dragons must make sure they end their double header against Pau with two wins out of two.
The Dragons currently top Pool 2, but the Pau could well be a different beast this week - former New Zealand fly-half Colin Slade starts, while two-time Rugby World Cup winner Conrad Smith is on the bench.
They could well inject some flair into Pau, who had never before been held to nil in a Challenge Cup game before their 22-0 defeat to Dragons last time out.
Lyn Jones has made seven changes to his Dragons side but just the one is enforced, as the injured Tom Prydie makes way for Nick Scott on the wing.
Pau: 15 Damien Traille, 14 Sireli Bobo, 13 Julien Furnat, 12 Jale Vatubua, 11 Mosese Ratuvou, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Thierry Lacrampe, 1 Jeremy Hurou, 2 Mehdi Boundjema, 3 Sylvain Charlet, 4 Daniel Ramsay, 5 Julien Pierre, 6 Josefa Domolailai, 7 Paddy Butler, 8 Brice Monzeglio
Replacements: 16 Quentin Lespiaucq, 17 Julien Jacquot, 18 Euan Murray, 19 James Coughlan, 20 Sean Dougall, 21 Thibault Daubagna, 22 Conrad Smith, 23 Watisoni Votu
Dragons: 15 Carl Meyer, 14 Nick Scott, 13 Adam Hughes, 12 Adam Warren, 11 Ashton Hewitt, 10 Jason Tovey, 9 Sarel Pretorious, 1 Phil Price, 2 Elliot Dee, 3 Lloyd Fairbrother, 4 Cory Hill, 5 Rynard Landman, 6 Nick Crosswell, 7 Nic Cudd, 8 Taulupe Faletau
Replacements: 16 Rhys Buckley, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Shaun Knight, 19 Matthew Screech, 20 Ollie Griffiths, 21 Charlie Davies, 22 Dorian Jones, 23 Ross Wardle
Saturday 19th December, kick-off 15:00
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