The debate this week has all centred around George North, but Warren Gatland will have to do without him in Edinburgh as Scotland - fresh off an impressive showing in their opening defeat to France - look to pile on the misery for Wales...

Team news

Scotland have made two changes. At tight-head Geoff Cross comes in for Euan Murray, due to the match falling on a Sunday, while Sean Lamont replaces the injured Tommy Seymour on the flank. The bench is also altered with Jon Welsh, Greig Tonks and Matt Scott replacing Cross, Peter Horne and Dougie Fife respectively.

The aftermath of Wales' defeat to England mostly focussed the concussions George North sustained, and Gatland has excluded his wing, saying he had to put the player's future first. Prop Samson Lee also misses out as he failed his final part of the return-to-play protocols following his knock to the head last Friday. Aaron Jarvis starts in his place.

Full-back Leigh Halfpenny and fly-half Dan Biggar both suffered knocks during the England encounter, but have made Gatland's team. In North's absence, Gatland makes just one change with Liam Williams coming in and Scarlets centre Scott Williams joining the Wales replacements in Edinburgh.

Key head to head

The battle between Stuart Hogg and Leigh Halfpenny is likely to prove key. The two full-backs are crucial to their respective sides. Halfpenny's kicking accuracy is deadly - he can score penalties from almost anywhere in the opposition half - while Hogg is great with the ball in hand and has a dangerous burst of pace when running from deep, as his interception try against Italy in last year's Six Nations showed. There is added space to the battle, with Hogg getting sent off early on in Scotland's humiliating 51-3 defeat to Wales in Cardiff last year - he will no doubt be looking to make up for his dismissal this time around and will have a point to prove.

Despite Scotland's impressive showing in Paris, they still gave away 11 penalties and will have to improve their discipline. They certainly can't afford to be giving that many away against the Welsh as Halfpenny will eat them up.

Key Stats

*Of the 120 fixtures played between the two sides, Scotland have won 48 while Wales have been victorious 69 times.

*Wales will be looking to maintain their excellent recent record against the Scots, having won 10 of the last 11 Six Nations meetings.

*Last year's 51-3 mauling in Cardiff, with Wales running in seven tries, was Scotland's heaviest defeat in their tournament history.

Odds

Scotland will look upon their defeat in Paris as a missed opportunity, having endured such misery there in recent times. If you fancy them to hand Wales a second defeat in as many games, you can get them at 8/5 with Unibet to win.

Weather

A wet afternoon with highs of six degrees is expected in Edinburgh on Sunday.

Prediction

Wales will be hurting from their opening defeat to England, where they simply froze in the second half in Cardiff, while Scotland will have revenge on their minds after last year's thrashing, which should make for an enthralling game. If Scotland can keep their discipline then they may have a chance of an upset, but Warren Gatland's men will likely have enough for a comfortable victory.

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