Bath skipper Luke Watson grabbed a try against Aironi when the two sides met in Round 2 © Getty Images

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Matches: Bath Rugby 55 - 16 Aironi

Tournaments/Tours: Heineken Cup

Teams: Aironi | Bath Rugby | England | Italy

Bath will look to add some gloss to an otherwise disappointing Heineken Cup campaign when they tackle Aironi at The Rec on Saturday.

Back-to-back defeats at the hands of Ulster all but ended Bath's Heineken Cup hopes for another year but the prospect of a potential Amlin Challenge Cup place may yet inspire the home side to what would be only their second win of the campaign.

The Premiership side's only victory came on the road against Aironi earlier in the season and while the Italians have struggled in the Magners League this season - with 12 straight losses - a win against Biarritz in December showed they do have what it takes to mix it on Europe's big stage.

Bath - Player to Watch: The form of inside centre Shontayne Hape is set to draw the eye with the Six Nations kick off looming.

Bath - Team News: Nick Abendanon is shifted to fullback in place of Jack Cuthbert, while Tom Biggs returns on the wing. Skipper Luke Watson starts at No.8, with Ben Skirving at blindside, while USA Eagles skipper John van der Giessen makes his Heineken Cup bow in the second-row.

Aironi - Player to Watch: Kiwi fly-half James Marshall bagged a try in his side's famous win over Biarritz and the former Tasman playmaker boasts plenty of quality.

Aironi - Team News: Gareth Krause continues at No.8 in place of the rested Nick Williams, while Pablo Canavosio gets the nod to partner Marshall at halfback. Julien Laharrague, match-winner against Biarritz, is retained at fullback.

Key Battle: Aironi will be gritty and determined but Bath will want to open them up, meaning that Butch James' gainline offloads and aggressive attitude will be vital.

Trivia: The formation of the Aironi Rugby franchise was only possible by the co-operation of Colorno, Gran Parma Rugby, Rugby Parma, Noceto, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Mantova and Viadana.

Stats: Tries from Tom Biggs, Matt Carraro, Nick Abendanon and Luke Watson carried Bath to a 22-6 victory over Aironi in Round 2.

Quote Unquote:

"Our mind-set going into this weekend's game is that we need to improve on our performance week on week. We've got some big games coming up and, while it may be unlikely that we will proceed further in this competition, we want to have pride in our performance." - Bath forwards coach Martin Haag.

"Our discipline has to get better but there's lot of work to do in a number of areas. I'm satisfied at the progress we're making; the only thing that's letting us down is not having won yet in the league. We could have beaten Edinburgh and Ulster and the Scarlets ran away with the game in the last five minutes." - Aironi coach Rowland Phillips.

Prediction: Bath are on a roll since the turn of the year with Premiership victories over London Irish and Leeds and a success against Aironi is set to extend that winning run.