Worcester Warriors v Northampton Saints: Tom Vickers' big match preview

Cobus Reinach starred as Saints won at Sixways in December 2018

Competition: Gallagher Premiership (round 13)

Venue: Sixways Stadium, Worcester

Date and kick-off time: Friday, March 6, 2020, 7.45pm

Live television coverage: BT Sport 1

Weather forecast: 5c, partly cloudy

Worcester Warriors: Pennell; Humpreys, Lawrence, Mills, David; Lance, Hougaard; Waller, Moulds (c), Schonert; A Kitchener, G Kitchener; Hill, Lewis, du Preez.

Replacements: Annett, Owen, Palframan, van Velze, Dodd, Heaney, Shillcock, van Breda.

Saints: Mallinder; Collins, Hutchinson, Symons, Naiyaravoro; Grayson, Reinach; van Wyk, Haywood, Hill; Coles, Bean; Wood, Ludlam, Harrison (c).

Replacements: Matavesi, B Franks, O Franks, Glynn, Tonks, Taylor, Dingwall, Tuala.

Outs: Saints: Jamie Gibson (ankle), David Ribbans (ankle), Piers Francis (concussion), Api Ratuniyarawa (suspension), Ollie Sleightholme (hamstring), Alex Moon (knee), Ehren Painter (calf), Alex Waller (achilles), Matt Proctor (chest), Dan Biggar, George Furbank, Courtney Lawes (all international duty).

Most recent meeting: Saturday, October 26, 2019: Saints 35 Worcester Warriors 16 (Gallagher Premiership)

Tom's preview: Saints will be hoping a little bit of history will be repeated when they square up to Worcester Warriors at Sixways on Friday night.

In December of 2018, the black, green and gold went to Worcester having endured a hugely sluggish start to the season.

Saints had won just three of their opening nine league matches and were in the lower reaches of the league table.

But they rocked up at Sixways and romped to victory, with the Cobus Reinach-inspired side kick-starting their campaign in convincing fashion.

They defeated high-flying Exeter Chiefs at Franklin's Gardens a week later and went from strength to strength as they secured a top-four finish in Chris Boyd's first season in charge.

Not only that, but they pushed Clermont Auvergne all the way in the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup, and they claimed their first trophy for five years by beating Saracens in the Premiership Rugby Cup final.

And it meant they could look back fondly on the Friday night at Sixways when a win against Worcester helped to awake them from their slumber.

Now Saints need a similar boost.

After four successive defeats in the Gallagher Premiership, they have slipped to fourth, having been second just a few weeks ago.

Another defeat would see them drop out of the play-off places this weekend and leave them playing catch up after next weekend's break.

It would mean so much for them to go into that week off in high spirts and give them the perfect platform to build on when the cavalry begin to return from injury and international duty.

But they will certainly not have it easy against a Worcester side who have found things even tougher than Saints in 2020.

The Warriors have yet to win a league game during the current calendar year and frustration is growing a Sixways, with boss Alan Solomons this week urging the home faithful to keep believing and backing the players.

With no relegation on the cards for anyone other than Saracens this season, Worcester can still enjoy a certain freedom, even after such a bad run.

And, as Saints found against London Irish at the end of January, form is rarely a real guide in England's top flight these days.

So, all they can do is focus on themselves.

And how they must improve after poor second-half showings at home have cost them key points in recent times.

They led at the break against Irish, Bristol and Saracens, but lethargic starts to the second half saw them fall to defeat in all three matches.

And their most recent away game was hardly one to remember either, as Exeter poured on the points and the pain in a 57-7 evisceration at Sandy Park.

Saints have found hurdles tough to negotiate in recent times, with so many key men missing.

But if they could deliver a display akin to the one they produced at Sixways last season it could be exactly the shot in the arm they need for a strong end to the season.

Tom's prediction: Both teams desperately want the points this week, but if Saints can fire, they should be the ones walking away with the win. It won't be easy, but I'm backing them to end their losing streak here. Worcester 18 Saints 23.