Edinburgh vs Gloucester Prediction: Hosts to outgun Cherry & Whites

Gloucester’s woes on the road look set to continue on Friday night (20:00, Premier Sports 1) when they head north of the border to face Edinburgh at Hive Stadium in the European Rugby Champions Cup.

Alex Jack provides his best bets in his Edinburgh vs Gloucester prediction piece, as well as all the essential team news and match odds for the clash in the Scottish capital.

Edinburgh vs Gloucester Odds

Edinburgh are the 1/18 favourites to secure the victory on Friday night, while Gloucester are 17/2 to head back over the border with the win.

A draw in the Scottish capital is currently 25/1, while the Cherry & Whites with a +17 handicap are currently 11/10.

Team News

Starting with the hosts, Edinburgh have gone with a front row of James Whitcombe, Harri Morris and Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, with locks Callum Hunter-Hill and Glen Young in the second row.

Back-rowers Liam McConnell, Freddy Douglas and Magnus Bradbury complete the Edinburgh pack, while Ben Vellacott and Ross Thompson start in the half-backs.

James Lang and Matt Currie start in the centres, while the hosts boast a back three of Duhan van der Merwe, Darcy Graham and Wes Goosen.

As for the visitors, Gloucester have Val Rapava Ruskin, Will Crane and Nepo Laulala in the front row, with locks Freddie Thomas and Matias Alemanno in the engine room.

Deain Gwynne, Lewis Ludlow and Jack Clement start in the back row, with Mikey Austin and Charlie Atkinson combining in the half-backs.

Seb Atkinson and Will Butler are the starting centres, while Josh Hathaway, Jack Cotgreave and George Barton form the back three for the Cherry & Whites.

Edinburgh -20 handicap @ 8/11

Gloucester have had serious trouble on the road in the last 12 months and that was highlighted last time out by their 25-19 defeat at the hands of a Newcastle Red Bulls side sat rock-bottom of the Gallagher Prem standings.

That loss at Kingston Park means Gloucester have now lost six of their last seven away games in all competitions.

This sort of road form does not bode well ahead of a trip to an Edinburgh side who are on a four-game winning streak at Hive Stadium, beating Ulster, Benetton, Ospreys and Toulon.

Gloucester managed to earn a 21-20 victory in their last trip to Edinburgh back in January 2024 but revenge looks to be on the cards for Sean Everitt’s side this weekend.

Edinburgh have the power up front and the finishing ability out in the wide channels to not only win on Friday but also cover the sizeable -20 handicap in the process against a Gloucester side missing a number of first-team regulars.

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