Gloucester vs Northampton Saints Prediction: Cherry & Whites to play their part

Needing other results to go their way to reach the Gallagher Premiership play-offs, all Gloucester can do is win their final game of the regular season at home against Northampton Saints on Saturday (15:05, TNT Sports Extra) and hope they get the rub of the green elsewhere.

Alex Jack provides his best bets in his Gloucester vs Northampton Saints prediction piece, as well as all the essential team news and match odds for this encounter at Kingsholm.

Rugby Union Odds

Team news

Gloucester will be set to field their strongest possible side with a chance of making the play-offs still alive, so expect all their big names to feature from the off.

The Cherry & Whites will still be without the likes of Ollie Thorley and Zach Mercer as they continue to recover from their respective injuries.

Following their European Champions Cup defeat to Bordeaux last time out and with nothing to play for, expect Northampton to rotate their squad for Saturday’s game.

Skipper George Furbank suffered a nasty head injury in the final in Cardiff and won’t feature, while James Ramm also picked up an early injury against Bordeaux and won’t play at Kingsholm for this one.

Match odds, Gloucester vs Northampton Saints

Gloucester are the heavy 1/10 favourites to keep their play-off hopes alive with a victory on Saturday, while Northampton are 13/2 to cause an upset at Kingsholm.

A draw for this clash in the West Country is currently available at 20/1.

Gloucester -18 handicap @ Evs

With Gloucester needing a bonus point win to give themselves the best chance of finishing in the top four, expect the hosts to throw all they have at Northampton this weekend.

Saints produced a gallant effort to not only reach the Champions Cup final, battling past Leinster in Dublin in the semi-finals, but push a star-studded Bordeaux side all the way in Cardiff.

The loss of Furbank and Ramm were significant blows early in that final at the Principality Stadium and Saints just could not produce the moments in the second half to lift the trophy.

That match will have taken plenty of physical and emotional energy out of this Saints side and expect wholesale changes for the weekend.

England’s Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith, Henry Pollock and Tommy Freeman are set to join up with the British & Irish Lions squad and are unlikely to be risked ahead of the tour of Australia.

While Saturday will provide some players set to leave a final chance to don the Black, Green & Gold, academy stars will also hope for an opportunity to impress.

Kingsholm is a tough place for any side to go, even at full strength and Northampton might just be overpowered by Gloucester on Saturday.

The Cherry & Whites earned a 25-17 win at Franklin’s Gardens earlier this season and Gloucester look set to complete the double over Saints this weekend and cover the -18 handicap in the process.

Rugby Union Betting Tips from Betfred Insights.