Prem team news: final-round play-off spots up for grabs

So after 17 rounds of action the Prem's regular season ends on Saturday with two key games in the play-off shake-up.

With all matches kicking off at 15:30 BST, most eyes will be on the clash at Sandy Park as fourth-placed Exeter hosts fifth-placed Saracens for the final play-off berth.

Meanwhile, second-placed Bath and third-placed Leicester will do battle at The Rec for second place and a home tie next week.

Northampton, who have already secured top spot and a semi-final at home against whoever finishes fourth, travel to Harlequins.

You can listen to coverage of all of the matches on BBC DAB and FM local radio, via BBC Sounds or the BBC Sport website and app.

Fourth-placed Exeter will be without England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso for the crucial clash with fifth-placed Saracens.

The 23-year-old has undergone surgery for a facial injury he suffered last week and is replaced by Paul Brown-Bampoe.

The only other change to Rob Baxter's starting line-up sees Christ Tshiunza come in for his final game at Sandy Park in place of Greg Fisilau, who also has a facial injury.

Tshiunza will play at openside flanker, with Tom Hooper moving to the blindside and Ethan Roots moving into Fisilau's slot at number eight.

If Exeter win or draw, they will secure a place in the top four for the first time since 2021 - they could move up to third place should Leicester lose at Bath.

Saracens will make the top four if they win, unless Exeter get two losing bonus points, and the Londoners fail to pick up a try-scoring bonus of their own - if the sides are level on points Saracens, would go through as they will have one more win than Exeter.

Theo McFarland returns to the pack for what could be his final game in a Saracens shirt.

The Samoan flanker comes in for Nick Isiekwe who drops to the bench in one of two changes to the side.

The other - in what could be Mark McCall's final game in charge - sees Rotimi Segun return on the wing after recovering from a knee injury.

Exeter: Woodburn; Brown-Bampoe, Slade, Ikitau, Ridl; Skinner, Varney; Sio, Norey, Iosefa-Scott, Jenkins (capt), Zambonin, Hooper, Tshiunza, Roots.

Replacements: Dweba,Burger, Tchumbadze,Tuima, James, Cairns, Wimbush, Hammersley.

Saracens: Malins; Elliott, Tompkins, Hartley, Segun; Burke, Bracken; Mawi, George, Stree, Itoje (capt), Tizard, McFarland, Earl, Willis.

Replacements: Dan, Carre, Riccioni, Isiekwe, Michelow, Van Zyl, Farrell, Caluori.

Bath hosts Leicester Tigers in a shootout to determine who will host a Prem semi-final in a week's time.

It comes as an early high-stakes showdown between defending champions Bath and the side they beat in last season's Grand Final.

Bath will have Tom de Glanville slot in at full-back - a move which will see Argentine Santi Carreras shuffle to fly-half, where he will link up with Ben Spencer.

Josh Bayliss comes in for Ethan Staddon, while Alfie Barbeary starts at number eight and Guy Pepper drops out.

Australia international James O'Connor returns at fly-half for Leicester Tigers, while Ollie Hassell-Collins is replaced by Wales winger Gabriel-Hamer-Webb.

Cameron Henderson and Olly Cracknell are promoted to the starting XV, having been named on the bench in last week's defeat by Exeter.

Izaia Perese is back for Tigers after serving a two-match ban and takes his place on the bench alongside 20-year-old scrum-half Charlie Bemand, who could be called upon to make his Prem debut.

Bath: De Glanville; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Ojomoh, Arundell; Carreras, Spencer (capt); Obano, Tuipulotu, Du Toit; Hill, Ewels, Bayliss, Underhill, Barbeary.

Replacements: Frost, Van Wyk, Sela, Molony, Richards, Carr-Smith, Redpath, Reid.

Leicester Tigers: Pearson; Radwan, Wand, Bailey, Hamer-Webb; O'Connor, Van Poortvliet; Smith, Blamire, Heyes; Henderson, Chessum (capt), Liebenberg, Reffell, Cracknell.

Replacements: Clare, Van der Flier, Hurd, Martin, Watson, Bemand, Kata, Perese.

Gloucester have this weekend's opponents to thank for increasing their Champions Cup rugby chance for next season after Newcastle's shock comeback win over Sale last weekend.

There will be a party atmosphere at Kingsholm this weekend as George Skivington's side looks to secure a top-eight spot as the Cherry and White say farewell to a host of leavers.

One of those is lock Matias Alemanno, who will make his 100th and final appearance for the club.

The Argentine is one of two changes to the starting XV who lost narrowly at Northampton last weekend, coming in for Deian Gwynne. Val Rapava Ruskin replaces Ciaran Knight in the back row, while Ollie Loader and Ben Loader swap wings.

Newcastle makes three changes – Freddie Lockwood at number eight, Murray McCallum at tight-head prop, with Elliott Obatoyinbo on the wing, in what will be coach Stephen Jones' final game in charge.

Alex Hearle, meanwhile, will make his 50th appearance for the northeast outfit.

The visitors are looking to do the double over their hosts, having triumphed 25-19 in the reverse fixture.

Gloucester: Redshaw; Loader, Llewellyn, S Atkinson (c), Thorley; C Atkinson, Englefield; Rapava Ruskin, Blake, Fasogbon; Clark, Alemanno, Thomas, Trenholm, Ventor

Replacements: Innard, Bleuler, Knight, Gwynne, Clement, Austin, Knight, Edwards-Giraud

Newcastle: E Grayson; H Obatoyinbo, Hearle, Arnold, E Obatoyinbo; Connon, Benítez Cruz; Hancock, McGuigan (c), McCallum, Hodgson, Scott, Leatherbarrow, Christie, Lockwood.

Replacements: Fletcher, Clark, Palframan, Cardall, Parsons, Elliott, Healy, Wade.

Harlequins will likely need a victory to stand any chance of leapfrogging Gloucester or Sale to claim a Champions Cup spot, but Northampton, who have already secured top spot, stands in their way.

Quins will finish eighth if they better the result of Gloucester, who take on bottom side Newcastle Red Bulls. There is also the possibility Harlequins could finish above seventh-placed Sale if they pick up a bonus point win and Sharks lose by more than seven points to Bristol.

Jason Gilmore makes five changes from the Quins side that lost 26-12 to London rivals Saracens, with Stephan Lewies returning at second row for his last game in place of Elliot Williams.

Cassius Cleaves comes in on the left wing in the only change to the backline, replacing Sean Kerr, with Cadan Murley shifted to outside centre.

Tighthead prop Ollie Streeter replaces Pedro Delgado, who drops to the bench, and lock Jonny Green replaces Zach Carr, while Will Evans is in at flanker for Chandler Cunningham-South.

Jamie Benson starts at full-back for his final game for the club, and Tom Lawday, who is leaving after seven years at The Stoop, is among the replacements.

Northampton Saints full-back George Furbank will not feature against the club he is set to join next season as Phil Dowson names just two players from the XV that started the narrow victory against Gloucester last Saturday.

Tom Litchfield remains at outside centre, and flanker Tom Pearson switches from blindside to openside after Northampton guaranteed a home fixture in the post-season shake-up last week.

Fraser Dingwall partners Litchfield in the backs as captain while Western Force-bound James Ramm starts on the wing and hooker Curtis Langdon returns to the side.

There is no place in the 23 for England quartet Fin Smith, Tommy Freeman, Alex Coles and Henry Pollock with the Prem semi-finals on the horizon next weekend.

Harlequins: Benson; Anderson, Murley, Bradley, Cleaves; Smith, Porter; Hobson, Riley, Streeter; Green, Lewies, Kenningham, W Evans, Dombrandt (capt).

Replacements: Staples, Wenger, Delgado, Treadwell, Petti, Lawday, Townsend, Bellamy.

Northampton: Pater; Martin, Litchfield, Dingwall (capt), Ramm; Belleau, Weimann; Fischetti, Langdon, Kundiona; Lockett, Van der Mescht, Kemeny, Pearson, Graham.

Replacements: Wright, West, Tonga'uiha, Munga, Chick, James, Thame, Hendy.

England back Tom Curry returns after concussion for Sale at the CorpAcq Stadium as they attempt to salvage Champions Cup qualification from a disappointing campaign.

The Sharks, who need one point to be mathematically sure, also have Raffi Quirke starting at scrum-half in what will be his final game before his summer switch to Newcastle.

Nathan Jibulu is back at hooker after a six-week ban for biting, while England wing Tom Roebuck is given another run at outside centre after stepping in at No 13 at the Red Bulls last Saturday.

Bristol, without captain Fitz Harding, who broke his thumb at Bath last week, names nine academy players in the all-English match-day 23.

The selection ensures the Bears meet the season-long English-qualified player requirement set by the RFU.

However, it leaves Bristol thin in some areas, particularly in the back row where second row Joe Batley and hooker Harry Thacker will fill in.

Tomas Gwilliam will make his first Prem start while Ollie Harris and Kieran Hill are to make their league debuts from the bench.

Sale: Carpenter; O'Flaherty, Roebuck, Ma'asi-White, Reed; Ford, Quirke; Opoku-Fordjour, Jibulu, Harper, van Rhyn (capt), Bamber, Dugdale, Kelly, T Curry.

Replacements: Longstaff, McEachran, Bell, Andrews, Logan, Warr, James, Wills.

Bristol: Lane; Heward, Bates, J Jenkins, Boshoff; Worsley, Randall (capt); Woolmore, Gwilliam, Lahiff, Dun, Taylor, Owen, Thacker, Batley.

Replacements: Hill, Grahamslaw, Chawatama, Halliwell, K Jenkins, Wolstenholme, Pepper, Harris.