Bath vs Leicester Tigers Predictions - Bath to see off Leicester in vital match

Brad Newcomb

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Last updated: 5 minutes ago

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Brad Newcomb 5 minutes ago

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Bath need a win to secure a home semi-final in the play-offs.
Leicester must win to move into second, but have lost 3 of last 4 at Bath.
Bath are tipped to cover the -10.5 handicap due to strong home form.

Bath have been performing well at home in the Premiership lately (Getty Images)

Bath must win to secure a home semi-final in the play-offs by finishing second in the league. The Leicester Tigers have an opportunity to leapfrog Bristol in the standings, but they have struggled to beat their hosts in recent matches.

Bath have won 4 consecutive home fixtures (PREM).
Bath have won 3 of their last 4 home matches against Leicester (PREM).
Leicester Tigers have lost 3 of their last 4 games against Bath (PREM).

Head to Head

The Leicester Tigers have a slight edge over Bath, with 24 victories to 20, including two draws in 46 meetings.

Bath Form

Bath had no answer in their match against Bristol last weekend, losing 21-19 away from home after leading 19-7 at the break.

Johan van Graan's team have been in excellent form at home this season. They defeated Sale Sharks 28-16, Gloucester 38-17, Bristol 40-15, and lost 41-21 to the Northampton Saints before beating Exeter 33-26, Saracens 62-15, Harlequins 48-15, and Newcastle 69-12.

The Blue, Black, and White are 2nd in the Premiership standings with 64 points from 17 matches.

Bath are just two points ahead of the Leicester Tigers in the table going into the final match of the season before the play-offs, but they will fancy their chances to come out on top, having won four consecutive home league games.

Leicester Tigers Form

Leicester dropped points in the race for a home semi-final in the season-ending play-off last weekend, losing 35-26 to Exeter at home after leading 14-13 at half-time.

The Tigers have achieved some success away from home in the league this season. They lost 42-24 to Bristol, 32-26 to Northampton Saints, defeated Newcastle 39-17, lost 24-10 to Exeter, beat Harlequins 36-7, and Gloucester 36-17, and then lost 19-15 to Saracens before defeating Sale Sharks 47-33.

Leicester are 3rd in the Premiership Rugby table with 62 points from 17 games.

The Leicester Tigers will be aiming for a home semi-final in the play-offs, but they must beat Bath to move into second place in the standings. However, they have struggled to beat their opponents away from home recently, losing three of their last four matches.

Team News

Bath

Fly-half Finn Russell is a doubtful starter against the Leicester Tigers after he pulled out of training with a calf issue last week.

Springbok prop Thomas du Toit has been named Bath Rugby's Players' Player of the Season and Supporters' Player of the Season.

Leicester Tigers

Head Coach Geoff Parling has stated that his side have enjoyed a strong season so far, but expects a tough match against Bath this weekend: "It has been a good season so far. We'll decide now whether it's great. Let's find out how we are on Saturday and go from there.

"Bath have had some close losses recently; I think they'll channel that and ramp up how they play."