Bath vs La Rochelle Prediction: Bath can sink Les Maritimes

The European Champions Cup begins with a bang on Friday night as Bath and La Rochelle meet in a mouth-watering clash at The Recreation Ground (8pm, Premier Sports 1).

Alex Jack provides his best bets for the content as well as all the important team news and match odds.

Match Odds, Bath vs La Rochelle

Bath are 4/7 favourites to topple La Rochelle on home soil while the French outfit are 6/4 to head back across the Channel with a victory to their name. The draw is chalked up at 18/1.

West Country hosts Bath are asked to give up a five-point handicap start and are 21/20 to leading at half-time and full-time on Friday.

 Team News

Consistency has been a recurring theme of Bath’s team selections this season and head coach Johann van Graan has made just one change to the side who edged aside Exeter Chiefs 19-15 in the Premiership last week.

Scotland international Cameron Redpath missed the autumn internationals but is back at outside centre for the hosts on Friday.

As for La Rochelle, former England and Exeter winger Jack Nowell is bound to receive a little extra attention from Bath fans on his return to the Rec.

Nowell starts on the wing with Jonathan Danty and Ulupano Seuteni paired in the centres and Tawera Kerr-Barlow and Ihaia West in the halves.

France’s Gregory Alldritt will skipper the side from number eight and Australia’s Will Skelton lines up in the second row for the Top 14 outfit.

Bath -5 handicap @ 11/10

With just one defeat in their seven Premiership games this season, Bath are in great form and will take some stopping in their quest for silverware this season.

Friday's clash with two-time European champions La Rochelle will be an acid test of their credentials.

Bath have lost both their previous two meetings with La Rochelle but both those games were on French soil and, with a passionate home crowd spurring them on, the 1998 European champions can get their continental bid off to a rousing start.

The return of Cameron Redpath adds further class to a Bath backline which can strike from all over the park, especially with Finn Russell pulling the strings from fly-half, and they can defy a five-point handicap line.

Miles Reid anytime tryscorer @ 4/1

La Rochelle will need to pay close attention to Bath’s star-studded back division, but it could mean that spaces open up close to the breakdown for number eight Miles Reid.

The Bath native has been in impressive try-scoring form for the West Country side recently, dotting down in each of their last two Premiership fixtures against Exeter and Sale.

A tough man to stop close to the line, Reid looks fine value at 18/5 to add to his seasonal try tally in Friday's Champions Cup opener.

Rugby Union Betting Tips from Betfred Insights.