Bristol Bears face one of the toughest tests of the season on Saturday when red hot Premiership leaders Saracens come to Ashton Gate in Round Nine of the 2022/23 Gallagher Premiership.
Bristol Bears have slipped to four straight defeats in the league since beating London Irish 40-36 at Ashton Gate on September 24. The Bears' 14-50 loss at home to Exeter in Round Five - the most points Bristol have ever conceded at Ashton Gate in the Premiership - ended a four-game winning run at home.
In contrast Saracens have dropped only one possible league point this season and that was in scoring only one try in their narrow victory at Exeter in Round Seven. And Saracens have lost just two of their last 11 clashes with Bristol in Premiership Rugby, both at Ashton Gate in April 2019 and August 2020.
Here are all the ways you can follow the action....
READ MORE: Bristol Bears v Saracens LIVE: Play-by-play updates from Ashton Gate
When is the game?
Bristol Bears v Saracens is being played at Ashton Gate Stadium on Saturday, November 5.
What time is kick-off?
The kick-off time is at 5pm.
Is the game on TV?
Yes.
Barring any late changes to fixtures like last weekend, this season every Gallagher Premiership match will be televised on either BT Sport on PRTV.
Premiership Rugby have confirmed today's match will be shown live on PRTV with coverage starting at around 4.50pm.
You can sign up here for £4.99 right here.
Highlights will be available online shortly after the match on the Premiership Rugby website along with a full match replay the following day.
How else can I follow the game?
If you are not going to watch the game on TV or be inside the stadium, Bristol Live will be live blogging the match bringing you all the build-up, team news, live play-by-play match updates, reaction, stats, analysis, interviews and highlights from inside the ground.
BBC Radio Bristol will also both be providing live commentary of the game.
What's the team news?
Bristol Bears: 15. Luke Morahan (104 apps), 14. Deago Bailey (3 apps), 13. Joe Jenkins (1 app), 12. Sam Bedlow (54 apps), 11. Gabriel Ibitoye (debut), 10. Callum Sheedy (139 apps), 9. Will Porter (1 app); 1. Yann Thomas (94 apps), 2. Bryan Byrne (36 apps), 3. Jay Tyack (1 app), 4. Ed Holmes (91 apps), 5. Joe Batley (23 apps), 6. Magnus Bradbury (6 apps), 7. Jake Heenan (c) (75 apps), 8. Fitz Harding (35 apps).
Replacements: 16. Harry Thacker (81 apps), 17. Jake Woolmore (115 apps), 18. Jonathan Benz-Salomon (8 apps), 19. John Hawkins (41 apps), 20. Dan Thomas (114 apps), 21. Andy Uren (141 apps), 22. Ioan Lloyd (64 apps), 23. Jack Bates (29 apps).
Saracens: 15 Max Malins, 14 Alex Lewington, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Alex Lozowski, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Alex Goode, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 1 Robin Hislop, 2 Theo Dan, 3 Marco Riccioni, 4 Callum Hunter-Hill, 5 Hugh Tizard, 6 Andy Christie, 7 Ben Earl (c), 8 Jackson Wray
Replacements: 16 Ethan Lewis, 17 James Flynn, 18 Alec Clarey, 19 Andrew Kitchener, 20 Toby Knight, 21 Gareth Simpson, 22 Josh Hallett, 23 Tom Howe
Who are the officials?
Referee: Jack Makepeace (14th Premiership game)
Assistant Referees: Mike Hudson and Peter Allan
TMO: Adam Leal
Citing Officer: Greg Garner
What are the odds?
Bristol Bears 7/4
Draw 20/1
Saracens 2/5
Odds taken from SkyBet and correct at the time of publication, please game responsibly.
