Gloucester vs Bath Prediction: Visitors to bathe in success

A cold evening in the West Country should be warmed up by a fiery encounter between two old rivals, as Gloucester host reigning Gallagher Prem champions Bath at Kingsholm on Friday night (19:45 GMT, TNT Sports 1).

Below are my Gloucester vs Bath predictions, as well as all the essential team news and match odds for the clash in the West Country.

Team News

Starting with the hosts, Gloucester go with Val Rapava-Ruskin, Will Crane and Afolabi Fasogbon in the front row, with Deian Gwynne and Matias Alemanno in the second row.

James Venter, Lewis Ludlow and Will Trenholm complete the pack, while skipper Tomos Williams and Charlie Atkinson combine in the half-backs.

Seb Atkinson and Josiah Edwards-Giraud pair up in the centres, with Gloucester going for a back three of Ollie Thorley, Josh Hathaway and George Barton.

As for Bath, the visitors have opted for a front row of Francois van Wyk, Dan Frost and Archie Griffin, with Ted Hill and Quinn Roux in the engine room.

Josh Bayliss, Ethan Staddon and Arthur Green form the back row, with captain Ben Spencer and Finn Russell going again in the half-backs.

Bath start with Max Ojomoh and Chris Harris in the centres, while Will Muir, Louie Hennessey and Santi Carreras form the back three for the Blue, Black & Whites.

Gloucester vs Bath Odds

Bath are heavy favourites at 1/9 to head back to Somerset with the win, while Gloucester are 11/2 to cause an upset on Friday night. A draw at Kingsholm is available at 28/1.

Bath -15 handicap @ 1/1

Gloucester head into this game in woeful form, and the last side they would want to face are the reigning champions.

The Cherry & Whites have lost six games on the bounce across all competitions and even suffered defeat to rock-bottom Newcastle Red Bulls in that time.

Conceding 57 points across their last two games in the European Rugby Champions Cup, defence continues to be an issue for Gloucester.

The Cherry & Whites have conceded an average of 33.8 points per game in the league this season, and against a Bath side packed with attacking talent, it’s hard to see the hosts keeping Friday’s game close.

Bath, who are the second-highest points scorers in the league this season, have an excellent record in this fixture, winning all of their last six Prem games against Gloucester.

With half-backs Spencer and Russell pulling the strings for the Blue, Black & Whites, and England flyer Henry Arundell capable of making a significant impact off the bench, Bath are backed to cover the -15 handicap on offer in this one.

Click the link for all the latest Rugby Union Odds