Bath vs Leicester Tigers Prediction: Bath to end long Premiership drought

Bath take on Leicester in the Premiership Final at Wembley on Saturday (15:00, live on ITV1) in what promises to be an enthralling encounter between two of the oldest clubs in English history. 

James Mason has had a look at the matchup and made his Bath vs Leicester Predictions including two tips to look at placing ahead of the match...

Team news  

Bath have made two changes from the win over Bristol, with the first of those coming in the front row, where prop Thomas du Toit replaces Will Stuart. 

The second alteration is a number eight, where Miles Reid has earned a start after his barnstorming performance when coming off the bench against the Bears. Alfie Barbeary is the player to make way. 

Bath starting XV: 1 Obano, 2 Dunn, 3 Du Toit, 4 Roux, 5 Ewels, 6 Hill, 7 Pepper, 8 Reid, 9 Spencer (c), 10 Russell, 11 Muir, 12 Redpath, 13 Ojomoh, 14 Cokanasiga, 15 De Glanville. 

Leicester have stuck with the same XV from the semi-final win over Sale, with Izaia Perese not doing enough to force his way into the team despite his wonder try against the Sharks. 

Leicester starting XV: 1 Smith, 2 Montoya (c), 3 Heyes, 4 Henderson, 5 Chessum, 6 Liebenberg, 7 Reffell, 8 Cracknell, 9 Van Poortvliet, 10 Pollard, 11 Hassell-Collins, 12 Woodward, 13 Kata, 14 Radwan, 15 Steward. 

Bath vs Leicester Tigers Odds

Bath are the 3/10 favourites to end their 29-year wait for a seventh Premiership title in normal time, with the draw priced at 22/1 and Leicester at 13/5 to land a record-extending 12th title. 

Bath to win by 1-12 points inclusive @ 2/1 

You have to go back to 1996 for the last time Bath won the Premiership, when they beat Leicester in the final, but Johann van Graan's look to be on the verge of ending that long wait for a seventh success. 

The Blue, Black and Whites already have the Premiership Cup and the European Challenge Cup in the bag and they can cap off a sensational campaign by becoming the first team since the Tigers in 2001/02 to complete the treble. 

Bath, of course, had that heart-breaking loss in last year's final, going down 25-21 to Northampton, but they are back for another crack and their extra quality in attack can help them triumph at Wembley. 

Van Graan's troops have scored 100 tries compared to Leicester's 75, while last season's beaten finalists also lead the Tigers in clean breaks, metres made and points scored (685 to 554). 

But this won't be a cakewalk for Bath, as they take on a Leicester side aiming for a record-extending 12th title and have showcased their defensive qualities throughout the campaign. 

While the last meeting between these two in May ended in a 43-15 success for Bath at The Rec, Saturday's encounter is expected to be much tighter on neutral ground. 

The last six Premiership Finals have been won by a margin of 10 points or fewer and there looks to be good value in backing Bath to triumph by 1-12 points. 

Joe Cokanasiga anytime tryscorer @ 11/10

While there are slight concerns over the less mobile Joe Cokanasiga when it comes to defending, the ex-England international is a force to be reckoned with when coming forward and he can cross the whitewash at Wembley. 

The 27-year-old wing scored a try in the semi-final win over Bristol, taking his tally to five tries from his last eight appearances, and he can utilise his pace and power to grab a crucial score. 

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