Alesana Tuilagi takes the ball into contact during Leicester's Anglo-Welsh clash with Bath © Getty Images

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Matches: Leicester Tigers 30 - 20 Sale Sharks

Tournaments/Tours: Anglo-Welsh Cup

Teams: England | Leicester Tigers | Sale Sharks | Wales

Leicester Tigers head coach Heyneke Meyer rings the changes for Friday's home game against Sale Sharks, with Lewis Moody making his first appearance of the season, Craig Newby set for his club debut and Seru Rabeni playing at Welford Road for the first time since March.

Ben Kay will lead out Tigers in the Anglo-Welsh Cup Pool B fixture, which also features a return for wing Tom Varndell and a first home start for fly-half Derick Hougaard.

In a reshuffled backline, Matt Smith switches to full-back, Johne Murphy returns to the wing and Rabeni moves to partner Tom Youngs at centre. Julien Dupuy is alongside Hougaard at half-back.

Benjamin Kayser, who has been named in the France squad for the Test against Argentina next weekend, joins Boris Stankovich and Dan Cole in the front row of the pack, and Richard Blaze teams up with Kay at lock. Moody is named at openside, with Newby gaining his debut at No8 and Brett Deacon completing the back row.

The replacements' bench includes Sam Vesty and Ben Youngs, plus Jordan Crane who has been released from the England squad for the opening autumn Test.

Harry Ellis, Toby Flood and Tom Croft have been retained in Martin Johnson's England squad preparing for the opening of the autumn internationals, while George Chuter returned to Leicester with a knee injury.

Geordan Murphy and Aaron Mauger, who were late injury withdrawals at Cardiff last week, are allowed time to recover fully and sit out the Sharks game, while Martin Corry and Julian White are rested.

"There are a few of the seniors away, a few short-term injuries and we also need to rest a few guys, but there is still a chance to qualify for the semi-finals and it is also important to see the depth of the squad going into the next stage of the season," said Meyer.

"We need to show a lot of character with the international players away but I am confident in the guys we have got. We need to concentrate on the way we want to play the game and execute our own plans.

"It's great to have Lewis Moody and Craig Newby in there, especially as we have been a bit short of back-row players. They have been brilliant in training and I'm looking forward to seeing them play."

Sale have included Wales international Dwayne Peel at scrum-half, one of several experienced players in a team featuring plenty of youthful promise.

Sale Director of Rugby Philippe Saint Andre said, "We know that we cannot qualify for the semi finals but this is an excellent opportunity for the younger players to push for a place in the starting line up during the autumn internationals and beyond.

"We have used a blend of experience and youth in the Anglo-Welsh Cup this year and we have been far from disgraced in the games against Cardiff and Bath, losing narrowly in both games."

Possible Anglo-Welsh Cup Permutations

* Should Cardiff Blues not lose they will make it to the semi-finals.

* Bath need to beat the Blues and not allow the Cardiff based teams two bonus points to finish above them in the table.

* Leicester's faint hope of qualification for the last four would happen only if the Tigers win with a bonus point, Cardiff Blues do not gain a point and Bath win without a bonus point.

* In the case of a three way tie on nine points (set up with a 5 point win for Leicester and a 4-1 win for Bath) whoever scores the more tries in the Cardiff v Bath game would progress.

* Sale cannot qualify for the last four.

Leicester Tigers: Matt Smith, Johne Murphy, Seru Rabeni, Tom Youngs, Tom Varndell, Derick Hougaard, Julien Dupuy, Boris Stankovich, Benjamin Kayser, Dan Cole, Richard Blaze, Ben Kay (c), Brett Deacon, Lewis Moody, Craig Newby

Replacements: Mefin Davies, Marcos Ayerza, Marco Wentzel, Jordan Crane, Ben Youngs, Ayoola Erinle, Sam Vesty

Sale Sharks: David Doherty, Selorm Kuadey, Rudi Keil, Chris Bell, Ed Styles Nick McLeod, Dwayne Peel, Rob O'Donnell, Marc Jones, Stuart Turner, Jason White, Dean Schofield, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Michael Hills, Carl Fearns

Replacements: Dan Ward, Ross Davies, James Gaskell, David Tait, Will Cliff, Mark Atkinson, Jonny Kennedy