Scarlets hope a “simplified” approach can help cause a Champions Cup upset at Northampton Saints after a week of change.
The Llanelli side are winless in Europe but still have hope of knockout rugby.
Friday’s fixture between Pau and Bulls will dictate whether they can sneak into the last 16 of the Champions Cup or whether they are playing for a spot in the Challenge Cup.
Scarlets make three changes from the 47-38 defeat by Pau as Wales fly-half Sam Costelow makes a timely return from an ankle injury just days before Steve Tandy names his Wales squad for the Six Nations.
Full-back Jac Davies and lock Max Douglas are also recalled in Nigel Davies’ first game back in charge.
Scarlets are without Tom Rogers because of a groin injury so Blair Murray moves to the left wing while Joe Hawkins returns to midfield to partner Eddie James in the absence of injured Joe Roberts.
Douglas is back in the pack from a one-match suspension after a 20-minute red card against Dragons on New Year’s Day.
Northampton are boosted by the return of captain Fraser Dingwall, who partners fellow England international Tommy Freeman in midfield.
Saints also bring in full-back James Ramm and freshen up their pack with starts for loose-head prop Emmanuel Iyogun, hooker Robbie Smith, lock Chunya Munga and flankers Josh Kemeny and Sam Graham.
Scarlets are bottom of the United Rugby Championship (URC) and head coach Dwayne Peel has paid the price for festive derby defeats to Ospreys and Dragons, then last week’s home loss to Pau.
The board have opted to change the club’s structure and have brought in Nigel Davies, who has been out of professional rugby since leaving Gloucester in 2014, as interim director of rugby until the end of the season.
The former Llanelli and Wales centre took his first session with the squad on Tuesday.
“We’ve simplified things and we’ve taken noise away. I’ve been delighted with the way that the players have trained and bought into it,” said Davies.
“There’s a genuine excitement around the group to take on this huge opportunity. Belief is everything and we’ve got the talent
“We’ve got to play to what is a very basic game plan that is based on a lot of the old values of the Scarlets, but in the context of a new era.”
Northampton are fresh from a comprehensive 50-28 defeat by Bordeaux-Begles in a repeat of last season’s final.
That was just a second loss of the campaign for a Saints side who have scored try bonuses in 11 of 12 fixtures in The Prem and Champions Cup.
“Not many people give us much of a chance, and understandably,” said Davies. “They’re a fantastic team and at this moment in time we’ve not been on the right end of results.
“They are the hot favourites and we have to make sure we are in the right place to perform.”
Northampton: Ramm; Todaro, Freeman, Dingwall (capt), Sleightholme; Belleau, Mitchell; Iyogun, R Smith, Davison, Munga, Van Der Mescht, Kemeny, Graham, Pollock.
Replacements: Wright, Fischetti, Mills, Lockett, Chick, McParland, Pater, Hendy.
Scarlets: J Davies; Mee, James, Hawkins, Murray; Costelow, A Hughes; Mathias, Elias, H Thomas, Douglas, Ball, Plumtree, Macleod (capt), Anderson.
Replacements: Van der Merwe, Hepburn, Harri O’Connor, J Taylor, Davis, G Davies, Page, T Lewis.
Referee: Kevin Bralley (Fra)
Assistants: Vincent Blasco Baque (Fra), Flavien Hourquet (Fra)
TMO: Julien Castaignede (Fra)
