Dragons v Saints: Teams
Catalans Dragons have an immediate chance to avenge their Carnegie Challenge Cup defeat on Saturday.
Last Updated: 15/05/09 5:12pm
Catalans Dragons have an immediate chance to avenge their Carnegie Challenge Cup defeat against St Helens on Saturday.
The Perpignan club went down 42-8 in the last 16 of the competition at Knowsley Road on Sunday, but have their Australian skipper Greg Bird back in contention following a hamstring injury.
Olivier Elima is the man to make way as Kevin Walters' side look to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat.
The Dragons have gone down to the top three - Saints, Leeds and Hull KR - in recent weeks and have not won since trouncing Salford in mid-April.
A record of four wins from 12 in Super League does not make happy reading for Walters, in his first season with the club, and he will be keen to get one over his predecessor Mick Potter, who left at the end of last season to take charge of Saints.
St Helens are unchanged from last week's 19, meanwhile, but are also on a run of successive defeats in the league.
Wigan and Bradford have both got the better of Potter's men in recent weeks, but they remain top of the table despite the recent slump.
Nine wins from 12 have left them one point ahead of the Robins and, with champions Leeds also playing on the same night, they will be keen to keep their distance.
Catalans will take heart from winning last year's corresponding fixture, a 24-10 victory, and it promises to be an emotional return for the architect of that success on Saturday.
Catalans squad: Baile, Bell, Bentley, Bird, Bosc, Carlaw, Casty, Duport, Fakir, Ferriol, Gossard, Greenshields, Guisset, McGuire, Mogg, Mounis, Pelo, Perry, Touxagas.
St Helens squad: Wellens, Gardner, Gidley, Meli, Pryce, Long, Cunningham, Graham, Gilmour, Flannery, Roby, Hargreaves, Puletua, Clough, Eastmond, Wheeler, Fa'asavalu, Ashurst, Emmitt.