Super League: London Broncos v Catalan Dragons preview
Catalan Dragons kick-off the eighth Super League Magic Weekend on Saturday against London Broncos at the Etihad Stadium.
Last Updated: 17/05/14 11:58am
The French club were riding the crest of a wave before losing to Warrington last weekend, while the capital side suffered a 12th successive defeat in new coach Joe Grima's first game in charge.
After losing six of their opening eight outings in 2014, the Dragons rediscovered the rich vein of form which saw them finish seventh last term with four straight wins before last year's Grand Finalists brought them back down to earth with a humbling 42-10 reverse.
Saturday's meeting will be the third competitive encounter between the sides this term, with the Dragons triumphing 40-24 in Perpignan before claiming a 28-22 victory at the Twickenham Stoop, as well as beating the Broncos in a pre-season friendly.
Broncos second row Mike McMeeken, who missed his first game of the season against Huddersfield last Saturday, returns to their 19-man squad.
French recruit Maxime Herold is retained and looks set to face his compatriots as he continues to familiarise himself with his new team-mates.
"Communicating has been pretty tough because he doesn't have a great command of English," Grima told the club's official website.
"But his effort and tenacity have been great. Everything about him I like."
Things are improving on the injury front for the Broncos with long-term absentees Erjon Dollapi and Will Lovell back in action with London Skolars this weekend, leaving Nesi Mataitonga and Kieran Dixon as the only absentees.
Meanwhile, Dragons coach Laurent Frayssinous has made three changes to his 19-man party ahead of the trip to Manchester.
Olivier Elima, Thomas Bosc and Elliott Whitehead are all restored, meaning Antoni Maria, Julian Bousquet and William Barthau lose their places.
Scott Dureau, Ian Henderson and Brent Webb remain sidelined and continue to provide long-term injury concerns for Frayssinous.
Broncos: Atkins, Bishay, Caton-Brown, Cook, Cunningham, Drinkwater, Farrar, Foster, Greenwood, Herold, Krasniqi, Macani, McMeeken, Minns, Moore, Slyney, Solomona, Vea, Wallace.
Dragons: Escare, Pryce, Oldfield, Bosc, Elima, Lima, Taia, Anderson, Pelissier, Whitehead, Millard, Pala, Simon, Paea, Baitieri, Duport, Garcia, Guasch.
You can watch all seven of Super League's Magic Weekend's games on Sky, including Wakefield Wildcats v Castleford Tigers on Sunday from 12pm on Sky Sports 1HD