Aviva Premiership: Leicester Tigers host Harlequins at Welford Road on Friday

Leicester Tigers host Harlequins at Welford Road on Friday night looking to end a three-match Aviva Premiership losing run.

The Tigers last lost four successive games in the tournament since the 2003/04 season, while Richard Cockerill’s side – who lost 19-22 to London Irish in their most recent home game - have not tasted back-to-back defeats at Welford Road in the Premiership since October 2011.

Yet despite their recent poor run, captain Ed Slater believes director of rugby Cockerill must not become the scapegoat for their early-season struggles.

"I think it's easy to find excuses and it's easy for people to look at Cocker and blame Cocker for what's happened," Slater said.

"But the reality of the situation is that as a playing squad we haven't been playing well enough.

"So it's all our responsibility, and the response to Cocker and the things that are being said, it's almost similar to football in a way - we've lost three games.

"It's below our expectations, we've been in difficult positions before and we've got to trust ourselves to come through it.

Boost

The hosts have received a boost with the news centre Manu Tuilagi in available again after sitting out the last three weeks with a groin injury.

Michele Rizzo and Brad Thorn are in line for their home debuts for Tigers after coming through their first game a week ago and loosehead prop Marcos Ayerza returns to the squad for the first time this season after playing for Argentina in the Rugby Championship.

Mathew Tait has recovered from the knock he took at Gloucester last weekend and starts at full-back, while Tuilagi's return allows top try-scorer Vereniki Goneva to revert to the wing.

Meanwhile, there is just one change to the Harlequins starting team which beat London Welsh last week as Will Collier starts in the front row.

Following 50 minutes in the Aviva 'A' League on Monday night, centre George Lowe is named among the replacements and will look to make his first senior appearance for the club since September 2013.

Leicester: 15 Mathew Tait, 14 Blaine Scully, 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi, 12 Owen Williams, 11 Vereniki Goneva, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Ben Youngs (c); 1 Michele Rizzo, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 3 Fraser Balmain, 4 Brad Thorn, 5 Graham Kitchener, 6 Jamie Gibson, 7 Julian Salvi, 8 Jordan Crane

Replacements: 16 Neil Briggs, 17 Marcos Ayerza, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Sebastian de Chaves, 20 Robert Barbieri, 21 David Mélé, 22 Sam Harrison, 23 Miles Benjamin

Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Marland Yarde, 13 Matt Hopper, 12 Tom Casson, 11 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Danny Care; 1 Joe Marler (c),  2 Joe Gray, 3 Will Collier, 4 Charlie Matthews, 5 George Robson, 6 Luke Wallace, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Nick Easter, 

Replacements: 16 Dave Ward, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Sam Twomey, 20 Joe Trayfoot, 21 Karl Dickson, 22 George Lowe, 23 Ollie Lindsay-Hague