Sale vs Northampton Saints Prediction: Sharks strong enough to sink Saints

After a thrashing at the hands of rivals Leicester Tigers last time out, Northampton Saints will be hoping for a response when they head to Salford Community Stadium on Friday night (19:45, TNT Sports 1) to face Sale Sharks. 

Alex Jack provides his best bets in his Sale vs Northampton Saints prediction piece, as well as all the essential team news and match odds for the showdown in Salford. 

Sale vs Northampton Saints Odds

Sale are 4/11 to claim the victory on Friday night, while Northampton are 11/5 to head back to the East Midlands with the win. 

A draw on the night at the Salford Community Stadium is currently available at 22/1.

Rugby Union Odds

Team News

England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie returns to the front row alongside props Bevan Rodd and Asher Opoku-Fordjour. 

Ben Bambers and Jonny Hill start in the second row, while back-rowers Ernst van Rhyn, Tom Curry and JL du Preez complete the Sale pack. 

In the backline, George Ford is joined by Gus Warr in the half-backs, with Sam Bedlow and skipper Rob du Preez in the centres. 

Tom O'Flaherty, Tom Roebuck and Joe Carpenter make up the back three for the hosts. 

As for Northampton, Saints go with Emmanuel Iyogun, Curtis Langdon and Trevor Davison in the front row, with locks Chunya Munga and Alex Coles in the engine room. 

Josh Kemeny, Angus Scott-Young and Henry Pollock make up the back row, with Alex Mitchell and Tom James in the half-backs. 

Saints go with skipper Fraser Dingwall and Burger Odendaal in the centres, with a back three of George Hendy, Tommy Freeman and James Ramm.

Sale -8 handicap @ 21/20

Northampton having Fin Smith rested for this game, with a big European Champions Cup clash at home to Clermont next time out, might well show where Saints' priorities lie. 

It's been a tough Premiership title defence for Northampton, who have been unable to find the same consistency in the league that they enjoyed last season and are currently down in eighth place. 

Making the play-offs is going to be a stretch for Phil Dowson's side but with their returning internationals after the Six Nations, they can still potentially do something special in Europe. 

England playmaker Smith will be a big miss in the No.10 jersey and it would have been interesting to see him go head-to-head with opposite number Ford on Friday. 

This will be James' first start at fly-half for Northampton in the Premiership and it's a big ask for the regular scrum-half to fill the void left by Smith. 

Sale have not lost at home to Northampton in the Premiership since 2017 and, with the Sharks up in sixth place and battling for a return to the playoffs, they should have enough quality to not only beat Northampton but cover the handicap in the process.

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