Scarlets v Ospreys: Teams

At Parc y Scarlets, Friday December 26, kick-off 2.05pm

There will be a full house at Parc y Scarlets on Boxing Day as Welsh rivals Scarlets and Ospreys go head-to-head in the Magners League.

The biggest ever crowd, surpassing the previous best of 14,400 against the Barbarians, is expected at the new stadium for the highly-charged local derby.

"We are really excited about this fixture as I am sure the Ospreys are. It will be great to perform in front of a full house and we're looking forward to a noisy atmosphere," Scarlets head coach Nigel Davies said.

"With the disappointment of our last two games, its great to see we have such a big support behind us on Saturday and now we've got to give our supporters something to cheer about.

"If there ever needed to be any added significance for this game - there certainly is for this one on Boxing Day.

"This fixture is about more than individuals, it is a massive game in its own right and is all about passion and pride and the team that wants it most will win it."

Stoddart returns

There is a further boost for the home side with Morgan Stoddart back to full fitness and included in a 22-strong squad.

The winger has been sidelined since picking up a hamstring injury on international duty with Wales but will be in the starting XV on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Ospreys are without a host of players through injury, including British and Irish Lions duo Mike Phillips and Shane Williams.

However head coach Sean Holley is excited ahead of the derby duel, which will see Ian Gough makes his 50th appearance for the visitors.

"It's a match that everybody at the Ospreys are all looking forward to, supporters, players, coaches alike," he said.

"It's always a busy time of year for us, with the Magners League throwing up big local derbies, sandwiched in between important Heineken Cup games, and you can't fail to be excited by the prospect."

Scarlets: 15 Rhys Priestland, 14 Morgan Stoddart, 13 Sean Lamont, 12 Jonathan Davies, 11 Andy Fenby, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Martin Roberts, 8 David Lyons (c) 7 Johnathan Edwards, 6 Simon Easterby, 5 Dominic Day, 4 Lou Reed, 3 Deacon Manu, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Phil John.
Replacements: 16 Jamie Corsi, 17 Emyr Phillips, 18 Vernon Cooper, 19 Rob McCusker, 20 Lee Williams, 21 Daniel Evans, 22 Gareth Maule.

Ospreys: 15 Gareth Owen, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Andrew Bishop, 12 James Hook, 11 Nikki Walker, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Ryan Jones (c), 7 Marty Holah, 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Craig Mitchell, 2 Huw Bennett, 1 Paul James.
Replacements: 16 Richard Hibbard, 17 Adam Jones, 18 Ian Evans, 19 Jonathan Thomas, 20 Jamie Nutbrown, 21 Sonny Parker, 22 Lee Byrne.