The Scarlets switch their focus back to the Pro12 following a disappointing spell in Europe as they look to get back to winning ways against lowly Italian outfit Zebre.
Having suffered losses against Northampton Saints and Racing 92 in the European Champions Cup, the region will be hoping to rediscover the form that saw them win six out their first seven matches to sit them near the top of the league.
And while there is no such thing as a certainty in sport, Wayne Pivac would expect his side to put the visitors to the sword in a comfortable manner.
To their credit, the Italian side do have two wins to their name having beaten both Cardiff Blues and Treviso – and currently sit in tenth place above the pair.
Former Australia and Toulouse scrum-half Luke Burgess has impressed for the Italians and if last week’s victory over Worcester Warriors is anything to go by, they should be a tricky prospect.
The home side will be bolstered by the availability of props Samson Lee and Rob Evans – who both suffered knocks during the European fixtures.
However, fellow front-rower Pete Edwards will miss out after sustaining elbow damage.
The last time these two sides met was just under two months ago in Parma as the Scarlets ran out 20-8 winners in a scrappy affair.
Their previous encounter in Llanelli was another hard-fought win – the west Walians prevailing 28-13 having trailed at the break.
With a strike-runner like DTH van der Merwe and in-form playmakers such as Regan King and Gareth Owen, I expect the Scarlets to have too much for the visitors and should run out with a fairly comfortable bonus-point victory.
