Leeds' Pete Wackett is held by the Sale defence during their Anglo-Welsh Cup clash back in November © Getty Images

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Matches: Sale Sharks 15 - 12 Leeds Tykes

Tournaments/Tours: Aviva Premiership

Teams: England | Leeds Tykes | Sale Sharks

Leeds step up their bid for Premiership survival against Sale Sharks at Edgeley Park on Friday night.

The Yorkshire-based side looked doomed following their defeat to fellow strugglers Newcastle last month but breathed life into their campaign with victory over London Irish the following week. They have since tasted defeat to Northampton but will fancy their chances against the Sharks, who are riding a run of five Premiership games without a win.

Sale have been active behind-the-scenes of late with the aim of building for the future but will still be wary of a side nine points behind them in the league ladder and fighting for their top flight status. Sale notched a narrow victory at Headingley earlier in the season and can also lay claim to a close Anglo-Welsh Cup win over their rivals.

Sale - Player to Watch: Sale have set their sights on 20 points out of the last 30 available in the Premiership with the form of fly-half Charlie Hodgson set to be pivotal.

Sale - Team News: Flanker James Gaskell is drafted back into the starting line-up having battled back from injury. Prop Eifion Lewis Roberts and flanker David Seymour are also back in the mix but must make do with a place on the bench. England winger Mark Cueto and Wales scrum-half Dwayne Peel also return to the Premiership stage following the conclusion of the Six Nations.

Leeds - Player to Watch: Lock Kearnan Myall confirmed earlier this month that he will join Sale in the off-season on a two-year deal and will no doubt want to impress.

Leeds - Team News: Leeds make five changes including the return of hooker Steve Thompson from England duty. He will pack down alongside Mike MacDonald and Phil Swainston with Gareth Hardy and Juan Gomez this week starting on the bench. Lee Blackett returns from injury to replace Scott Barrow, who has had a hernia operation this week. Henry Fa'afili reverts to centre to allow Blackett to start on the right wing. The final change sees skipper Marco Wentzel back from a hamstring injury and into the second-row. On the bench, back-row Rhys Oakley is back from injury while Christian Lewis-Pratt could make his first Premiership appearance since October.

Key Battle: With a close battle on the cards, the battle of the boot is set to go a long way to deciding proceedings - step forward Leeds' Adrian Jarvis and Sale's Hodgson.

Trivia: Leeds' two victories this season have both come away from home - a 15-13 win against Gloucester at Kingsholm and a 27-19 success against the Exiles.

Stats: These two sides have met on 20 previous occasions in all competitions with Leeds registering just one victory - a 19-10 win at Edgeley Park on February 19, 2010.

Quote Unquote:

"It's not an embarrassment to the club, it's an embarrassment to the player." - Sharks' executive director of sport Steve Diamond slams Kris Chesney after the Toulon lock reneged on a deal to return to the Sharks.

"We now have three massive games in the coming weeks to keep our destiny in our own hands and that is how we are approaching Friday's game." - Leeds head coach Neil Back sounds a rallying call

Fantasy: The form of these two sides suggests that they do not boast ESPNscrum Fantasy Rugby Game magnets but the trusty boot of Sale fly-half Hodgson will rarely let you down.

Prediction: Desperate times call for desperate measures so this clash will not be easy on the eye. Expect home advantage to give Sale the edge.