Mathew Tait starts for Sale © Getty Images

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Matches: Sale Sharks 13 - 19 Toulouse

Tournaments/Tours: Heineken Cup

Teams: England | France | Sale Sharks | Toulouse

Toulouse are on the road this weekend, travelling to Edgeley Park to face Sale in pursuit of a home quarter-final in the Heineken Cup.

The French giants qualified for the last eight last weekend with a bonus-point victory over Harlequins, but will be desperate to secure home advantage as they go in pursuit of a fourth European title.

The Sharks had hoped for this game to be a winner-takes-all shootout at the top of Pool 5, but their loss to Cardiff Blues has left them looking more closely at one of the available spots in the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

Sale boss Kinglsey Jones has named a number of his international players who are keen to impress ahead of the Six Nations, with England duo Mathew Tait and Mark Cueto starting in the backline and Wales prop Eifion Roberts given a chance to show his worth at loose-head.

Toulouse have handed Frederic Michalak a start at scrum-half, while in the No.10 jersey Jean-Baptiste Elissalde gets a chance to press his international claims ahead of the Six Nations. Clement Poitrenaud is preferred to Maxime Medard at fullback, with Vincent Clerc returning on the wing. Thierry Dusautoir skippers the side from a back-row also containing Gregory Lamboley and Louis Picamoles.

"We needed to work hard this week and get back on the grass after all the snow and prepare well for what is a massive game. It's an opportunity to put things straight from last week," Jones said. "The guys want to play for their countries in the next few weeks and it's their last chance to put their hand up in front of the International coaches."

Sale Sharks: Nick Macleod, Mark Cueto, Mathew Tait, Johnny Kennedy, David Doherty, Charlie Hodgson, Richard Wigglesworth, Eifion Roberts, Mahonri Schwalger, Martin Halsall, Chris Jones, Dean Schofield, James Gaskell, Luke Abraham, Sisa Koyamaibole

Replacements: Marc Jones, Rob O'Donnell, Gavin Kerr, Sean Cox, Carl Fearns, Chris Leck, Andy Tuilagi, Oriol Ripol

Toulouse: Clément Poitrenaud, Vincent Clerc, Yann David , Yannick Jauzion, Cédric Heymans, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, Frédéric Michalak, Jean-Baptiste Poux, Virgile Lacombe, Benoit Lecouls, Yoann Maestri, Patricio Albacete, Grégory Lamboley, Thierry Dusautoir (capt), Louis Picamoles

Replacements: William Servat, Yohan Montes, Daan Human, Shaun Sowerby, Jean Bouilhou, Maxime Medard, Byron Kelleher, Florian Fritz