Leicester v Bath: Teams

Ellis: Up for the cup

It's a competition that we set out to win at the start of the year. We're not in the EDF Energy Cup so we can concentrate on this and the Premiership

Harry Ellis
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Guinness Premiership heavyweights Bath and Leicester do battle on Saturday in the only all-English Heineken Cup quarter-final.

The Tigers, who are without a number of first-team regulars, will be looking to avenge a European loss to the same opponents, also at the Walkers Stadium, three years ago.

Acting head coach Richard Cockerill has made just one change to the side that defeated Sale last time out.

Julian White is serving a suspension following his sending off against the Sharks for punching England team-mate Andrew Sheridan.

Castrogiovanni included

Italian Martin Castrogiovanni comes into the front row to play alongside fellow prop Marcos Ayerza and hooker George Chuter.

As well as missing White, Leicester are unable to call upon the services of Martin Corry and Aaron Mauger due to injury, meaning Geordan Murphy continues to captain the side from full-back.

Richard Blaze, Brett Deacon, Ben Herring, Derick Hougaard, Benjamin Kayser, Lewis Moody, Matt Smith and Marco Wentzel are all sidelined.

Despite the lengthy casualty list, scrum-half Harry Ellis is confident the Tigers can overcome Bath and go all the way in the competition.

"There's a real desire to win this competition after having gone so long without doing so," said Ellis.

"It's a competition that we set out to win at the start of the year. We're not in the EDF Energy Cup so we can concentrate on this and the Premiership.

"We've gone close over the years, usually been there or thereabouts. It's a tough competition so you can't expect to win it every year. But we have the squad to do it this time.

"At this stage anyone who is in the quarter-finals will be playing very well purely because it's so hard to get out of the group stage in the Heineken Cup."

Bath will be looking to bounce back to winning ways having been beaten on home soil by title rivals Harlequins last weekend.

Despite the setback in their bid for domestic glory, head coach Steve Meehan admits there has been a buzz at The Rec in the build-up to the clash with Leicester.

Different feel

"There's been a different feel this week," the Australian told the club's official website. "They have come back considerably fresher and considerably more excited.

"It's because it is the knockout stage and it is because of the history between Bath and Leicester, we always manage to stage games of great drama and theatre. I think the guys with all that behind them are just excited about the whole challenge."

Meehan has been able to select skipper Michael Lipman, who missed the match against Quins after being carried off in the midweek win over Wasps.

Michael Claassens is back at scrum-half, meaning Scott Bemand drops to the bench, alongside Butch James, who was cleared to play after being found not guilty of an alleged stamp on Wasps centre Riki Flutey.

In the pack, David Flatman comes into the front row while Peter Short partners Justin Harrison in the second row in place of Stuart Hooper.

Leicester: 15 G Murphy (capt); 14 S Hamilton, 13 D Hipkiss, 12 S Vesty, 11 A Tuilagi; 10 T Flood, 9 H Ellis; 1 M Ayerza, 2 G Chuter, 3 M Castrogiovanni, 4 L Deacon, 5 B Kay, 6 T Croft, 7 B Woods, 8 B Pienaar.
Replacements: 16 M Davies, 17 D Cole, 18 J Crane, 19 C Newby, 20 J Dupuy, 21 A Erinle, 22 J Murphy.

Bath: 15 N Abendanon; 14 J Maddock, 13 A Crockett, 12 S Hape, 11 M Banahan; 10 B James, 9 M Claassens; 1 D Flatman, 2 L Mears, 3 D Bell, 4 J Harrison, 5 P Short, 6 A Beattie, 7 M Lipman (capt), 8 J Faamatuainu.
Replacements: 16 R Hawkins, 17 P Ion, 18 S Hooper, 19 J Scaysbrook, 20 S Bemand, 21 S Berne, 22 A Higgins.