Glasgow v Edinburgh: Teams

Edinburgh head coach Rob Moffat has made three changes to the starting XV to face Glasgow Warriors in the opening leg of the Greaves Sports 1872 Cup.

The Scottish derby promises to be a memorable Magners League clash, with Edinburgh travelling to Firhill fresh from their victorious trip to Bath in the Heineken Cup.

Moffat has chosen to retain the same back division, with Chris Paterson captaining the side in place of Mike Blair, who is unavailable due to an ankle injury.

Vice captain Allister Hogg is out with a hip problem and is expected to be sidelined for a few months, while David Blair, Simon Cross, Andrew Easson, Ryan Grant and Simon Webster are still unavailable with various injuries.

Scotland internationals Allan Jacobsen and Scott MacLeod have been introduced into the front-five while young openside Roddy Grant makes his return to the pack.

Grant was a notable performer in the first half of his debut professional season, but was replaced by Ross Rennie in the side that defeated Bath.

"The situation with Ross Rennie is that - even though he did very well last week - it is important that we manage him carefully," said Moffat.

"He is not going to be able to play every week. The best way to manage him is to manage him carefully.

"Roddy Grant has been outstanding for us and, after being rested for last week's match against Bath, will come back refreshed for what will be a tough match."

Exciting

League leaders Glasgow have only a slender points cushion over Edinburgh in the table, but while Moffat is desperately coveting a win he also recognises the importance of providing an exciting derby for the fans.

"We want to win every match and we will go into this one against Glasgow at Firhill with a positive mindset," he said.

"Winning is our main priority, but, in front of what is expected to be a big crowd at Firhill and with lots of TV viewers watching, we want to be able to entertain people as well.

"Glasgow are going well at the moment and they have a proud record at Firhill, so we know just how difficult the match is going to be, but we'll be ready for the challenge."

Meanwhile, Glasgow coach Sean Lineen believes that playing at Firhill will not benefit the Warriors' performance.

"We're not usually at home for the first leg, but that gives us no real advantage, it's what we make of it," said Lineen.

"There are some terrific match-ups all over the field, but it's not about individuals, but about how we work as a team."

Thom Evans is the only change to the line-up that were beaten by Gloucester in their Heineken Cup match last weekend.

The winger returns from a knee injury to replace Dave McCall, swapping back to his favoured left side while DTH van der Merwe moves to the right wing.

Glasgow:15 Bernardo Stortoni, 14 DTH van der Merwe, 13 Max Evans, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Thom Evans, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Chris Cusiter, 1 Jon Welsh, 2 Dougie Hall, 3 Moray Low, 4 Alastair Kellock, 5 Richie Gray, 6 Kelly Brown, 7 John Barclay, 8 Richie Vernon.
Replcements (from): Fergus Thomson, Kevin Tkachuk, Dan Turner, Johnnie Beattie, Mark McMillan, Colin Gregor, Colin Shaw, Hefin O'Hare, Rob Dewey

Edinburgh: 15 Chris Paterson (c), 14 John Houston, 13 Ben Cairns, 12 Nick De Luca, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Phil Godman, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 1 Allan Jacobsen, 2 Ross Ford, 3 Geoff Cross, 4 Steve Turnbull, 5 Scott MacLeod, 6 Alan MacDonald, 7 Roddy Grant, 8 Scott Newlands.
Replacements: TBC