Catalans Dragons v Castleford Tigers: Super 8s preview
Last Updated: 22/08/15 5:02pm
Castleford will attempt to build on their superb start to the Super 8s when they visit Catalans Dragons on Saturday.
The Tigers have won their opening two home games against Hull FC and Warrington, and victory at the Stade Gilbert Brutus will put them level on points with Huddersfield and St Helens.
Daryl Powell has made two changes to the squad that recorded a thrilling last-gasp victory over Warrington.
Paul McShane and Scott Wheeldon both return to the Tigers' 19-man squad, with Ryan Boyle and Michael Channing dropping out.
Catalans miserable away form continued at Huddersfield last week but they remain a force at home and have won their last five meetings with Castleford at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.
Dragons coach Laurent Frayssinous welcomes back Ben Pomeroy from suspension. He replaces Willie Tonga in the only change to the 19-man squad beaten by the Giants.
Vincent Duport, Michael Oldfield, Rémi Casty, Greg Mounis and Fouad Yaha all remain absent through injury.
"It's a tough place to go and get a result - history shows that," said Powell. "Only a couple of clubs have beaten them there this year.
"We weren't that far away the last time we played them there to be honest. We got beat by a point and I thought we were pretty unlucky.
"They still mathematically could make the top four but it's highly unlikely and I'm sure they'll feel like that, so they could completely relax, and when French teams do that they tend to throw the ball about a bit so we've got to be mindful of what could come our way.
"It would be a big statement for us. Going there and winning is a tough thing to do and it would be a pretty big confidence booster for us as a team and a club.
"It would give us momentum rolling into the last four games so it's a big game for us."
Catalans Dragons: Louis Anderson, Jason Baitieri, Thomas Bosc, Julian Bousquet, Todd Carney, Scott Dureau, Olivier Elima, Morgan Escaré, Ben Garcia, Tony Gigot, Ian Henderson, Krisnan Inu, Jeff Lima, Antoni Maria, Eloi Pelissier, Ben Pomeroy, Jordan Sigismeau, Zeb Taia, Elliott Whitehead.
Castleford Tigers: Justin Carney, Matt Cook, Luke Dorn, Liam Finn, Luke Gale, Ashley Gibson, Oliver Holmes, Andy Lynch, Nathan Massey, Mike McMeeken, Paul McShane, Grant Millington, Adam Milner, Junior Moors, Ben Roberts, Michael Shenton, Gadwin Springer, Jake Webster, Scott Wheeldon.
Watch Catalans v Castleford live on Sky Sports 3 HD on Saturday from 5pm. Catch the match for £6.99 on NOW TV. No contract.
