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It's do or die for Northampton Saints' season as they welcome Clermont to Cinch Stadium Franklin's Gardens in a bid to save their so far underwhelming campaign.
It's do or die for Northampton Saints' season as they welcome Clermont to Cinch Stadium Franklin's Gardens in a bid to save their so far underwhelming campaign.
The Premiership champions are out of the play-off mix, languishing down in eighth following a dismal title defence, but the Saints have performed well in Europe, topping Pool 3.
Clermont currently lie sixth in the Top 14, while they finished fourth in Pool 2.
Silky Seabrook Saints' star
Tom Seabrook scored a hat-trick in round 4, making 100 metres and is a key part of a potent backline in the competition.
Northampton have scored an average of five tries per match which ranks third overall and they have the second highest gainline success rate of 48.4%.
The Saints are known for their flashy attack but the backbone of their European run has been from a strong defence which sees them average second in most tackles (172) and dominant tackles (11.5) across matches this season.
Clermont's cleanout have been effective this season with a higher proportion than any other team at 89.7%.
Bautista Delguy beat a round-high 11 defenders in his last Champions Cup appearance. He also offloaded three times and assisted a try.
Previous meetings
The two sides have plenty of history, with their first meeting coming in a Champions Cup knockout back in 2015 during Clermont's run to the Final, before taking a win apiece in the 2017/18 pool stage.
In their most recent meeting, the French side blew the Saints away 61-38 in the 2019 Challenge Cup quarter-finals.