Clermont Auvergne, one of the favourites for this season's Heineken Cup, know they have to beat Italians Aironi at home to re-establish their credentials after the opening weekend of the tournament.
The French side, who made a raft of big-name signings before the new season, suffered a 16-11 defeat to Ulster in Belfast last weekend but did manage to get what could be a vital losing bonus point.
Clermont Auvergne, who reached three Heineken Cup quarter-finals, have an impressive record at the Stade Marcel Michelin and have won their last eight games at home in Europe.
Aironi, who recorded one of the biggest upsets in Heineken Cup history with their win over Biarritz last season, will want another French scalp when they arrive in France on Friday evening.
The Italian new boys, who are only in their second season of Heineken Cup rugby, managed a creditable 28-12 defeat to former champions of Europe Leicester Tigers at home.
Aironi, who still waiting for their first away win in the tournament, managed to stop the double champions from registering a bonus-point victory when the two sides met in Italy last weekend.
Teams:
Clermont: 15 Lee Byrne, 14 Noa Nakaitaci, 13 Aurélien Rougerie, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Julien Malzieu, 10 Brock James, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Julien Bonnaire, 7 Julien Bardy, 6 Gerhard Vosloo, 5 Nathan Hines, 4 Loic Jacquet, 3 Mattheus Kotze, 2 Ti'i Paulo, 1 Vincent Debaty.
Replacements: 16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Clément Ric, 18 Davit Zirakashvili, 19 Jason White, 20 Alexandre Audebert, 21 Ludovic Radoslavjevic, 22 Gonzalo Canale, 23 Jean-Marcel Buttin.
Aironi: 15 Ruggero Trevisan, 14 Sinoti Sinoti, 13 Roberto Quartaroli, 12 Gilberto Pavan, 11 Giovanbattista Venditti, 10 Luciano Orquera, 9 Tyson Keats, 8 Frans Viljoen, 7 Josh Sole, 6 Joshua Furno, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Fabio Staibano, 2 Tommaso D'Apice, 1 Matias Aguero.
Replacements: 16 Roberto Santamaria, 17 Alberto de Marchi, 18 Lorenzo Romano, 19 George Biagi, 20 Filippo Ferrarini, 21 Giorgio Bronzini, 22 Naas Olivier, 23 Giiulio Toniolatti.
Date: Friday, November 18
Venue: Stade Marcel Michelin
Kick-off: 21.00; 20.00 GMT
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Gilbert has released a new line of rugby cleats. The Gilbert Virtuo 8S is part of the exciting new product. Check it out.
The entire All Blacks apparel line has been updated for 2013/14. Check out the New Zealand All Blacks polo.
The Nike Tiempo is a solid rugby cleat and one of few styles still made from full-grain natural leather.
The Gilbert Blitz 8S rugby cleat is a great cleat at a great price of $69.99. Get a new pair of cleats today.
A cool looking all black rugby cleat with the high performance adidas is known for. Get in the Gear!
Wear the crest of the British and Irish Lions on your t-shirt. A great look for the summer.
$29.99
The All Blacks Performance t-shirt is black with hints of blue from the training jersey. Very Cool.
The New Zealand All Blacks training jersey for 2013/14. Get in the Gear!
The USA Rugby Pro Alternate rugby jersey is perfect for any fan of the Eagles. Get yours to wear during the summer Test matches.
The NEW All Blacks 2013/14 jersey has arrived at World Rugby Shop. Dare to wear the colors of the All Blacks.
