Edinburgh welcome Glasgow Warriors to BT Murrayfield for the first instalment and they do so as holders of the cup, for the first time since 2008.
However, Alan Solomons' side have won just one of their last five GUINESS PRO12 games and have slipped below their Scottish rivals in the table.
Sitting below that duo are the Ospreys and they travel to table-topping Scarlets, boasting an impressive recent record against fellow Welsh regions.
They have lost just one of their last seven Welsh derbies in the competition, but the in-form Scarlets are strong at home - with just one defeat in their last 22 league games at Parc y Scarlets.
Wayne Pivac's side also have three players on four GUINNESS PRO12 tries apiece - there are eight in total - in the shape of James Davies, Hadleigh Parkes and DTH van der Merwe.
If it is tries you're after, look no further than second-placed Connacht whose tally for 27 through the first nine rounds leads the way.
They host Ulster at the Sportsground, where Pat Lam's side are unbeaten in all competitions this season, but it is not a fixture in which they have an impressive history.
In the last 18 meetings between the two sides, Ulster have suffered defeat just once - 26-21 in Galway in April 2012 - and another victory would mark a memorable 100th PRO12 appearance for Chris Henry, should he feature.
Aled Brew is also sitting on 99 caps in the competition and could bring up a century when Newport Gwent Dragons host Cardiff Blues, as the league's top point-scorer goes head-to-head with its most accurate kicker.
No-one has more points in the competition than Cardiff's Scarlets-bound fly-half Rhys Patchell, who is two shy of a century of his own, while Dragons stand-off Dorian Jones boasts 90.91 per cent accuracy from the tee - having missed just once this season.
And the omens look good for the Dragons, who have won their last three in all competitions while Cardiff Blues have lost their last 11 PRO12 away trips - their worst ever such run.
Leinster travel to Munster, seeking to avenge a season's double at the hands of their inter-provincial rivals last season.
Indeed, the Leinstermen lost all three away games against Irish provinces last term, the first time that has occurred since the 2003-04 season.
And the first of two festive Italian derbies takes place at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi on Sunday.
Zebre come into the game off the back of their biggest ever victory, 25-5 against La Rochelle in the Challenge Cup last weekend.
Benetton Treviso, meanwhile, have lost their last 20 games in all competitions - though six losing bonus points ensured they are not far adrift at the bottom of the GUINNESS PRO12 table.
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