Sale's James Gaskell has been recalled to the starting line-up for the visit of Exeter © Getty Images

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Matches: Sale Sharks 23 - 30 Exeter Chiefs

Tournaments/Tours: Aviva Premiership

Teams: England | Exeter Chiefs | Sale Sharks

Sale Sharks and Exeter Chiefs will both be desperate for victory when they collide at Edgeley Park on Friday night.

The hosts have lost three of their last four games in the Aviva Premiership, a sequence of results which has seen them drop to fifth in the standings. Last Friday night's rout of La Villa in the Amlin Challenge Cup will have lifted spirits somewhat but their defeat by Brive the previous weekend underlined the fact that Sale are struggling against decent opposition at the moment.

The Chiefs also enjoyed a resounding victory in the Amlin last weekend, Rob Baxter's men racking up 68 points in a predictably one-sided clash with Cavalieri Prato. However, that victory does not disguise the fact that Exeter have been in freefall of late. They opened by winning three of their first four games of the new Premiership season but have now lost four on the bounce. It is imperative that they get back to winning ways sooner rather than later.

Sale Sharks - Player to Watch: Former Auckland Blues ace Onosa'i Auva'a is set to make his debut for the hosts after being named among the replacements. It will be interesting to see if the flanker can make an immediate impression at Edgeley Park.

Sale Sharks - Team News: Unsurprisingly, Sale boss Steve Diamond makes a raft of changes to the side which swept La Vila aside. There are just two survivors from the back-line which started against the Spanish side, Johnny Leota and Rob Miller. Leota retains his place in midfield, where he will be joined by returning skipper Sam Tuitupou, while Miller moves from fly-half to fullback to facilitate the return of Nick Macleod, who will have Dwayne Peel for company in the half-backs. Up front, Marc Jones will again line out at hooker, Fraser McKenzie holds on to his place in the second-row, while Andy Powell holds on to the No.8 jersey. Mark Cueto, James Gaskell and David Seymour are among those recalled.

Exeter Chiefs - Player to Watch: Gareth Steenson will be out to impress. The Irishman has been forced to play second fiddle to Ignacio Mieres for most of the season but Steenson gets another chance to shine this weekend after being handed the No.10 jersey for the clash with Gloucester earlier this month.

Exeter Chiefs - Team News: Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter has named his strongest line-up for the trip to Stockport. Indeed, there are just two changes to the side which faced Perpignan at fortnight ago. Tom Johnson gets the nod ahead of Ben White in the back-row, while Nic Sestaret has been preferred to Josh Tatupu in midfield.

Key Battle: In what is likely to be a tight encounter, the breakdown will be even more important than usual. With a imposing back-row trio of James Gaskell, David Seymour and Andy Powell, the home side should have the edge in this regard.

Trivia: These two sides have only met twice before, with Exeter coming out on top on both occasions last term

Stats: Sharks fly-half Nick Macleod has only managed to convert 67.44% of his strikes on goal this season

Quote Unquote:

"In terms of our development, this match is the most pivotal game of the season. Exeter are a good side. They are very workmanlike, keep the ball well and they wait for you to make a mistake. If we can achieve parity at our lineout and scrum, we can get some joy out of the game." "
- Sharks boss Steve Diamond talks up the importance of Friday night's game

"They invested a lot of money over the summer and the quality of players out there is fantastic. We have to be aware of every one of them and cover from 1 to 15. They have some strong ball carriers in midfield that give them momentum, but we've got guys who can defend and be enthusiastic."
- Exeter assistant coach Ali Hepher believes the Chiefs can cope with what Sale have to offer

Prediction: Little to choose between the two sides and Exeter did triumph in Stockport last season. However, home advantage should prove decisive this time around. Sale win.