Russell and Daly among starters as Prem returns

Prem Rugby returns this weekend with the first of the final eight rounds of matches before the end of the regular season.

Bath take on Saracens on Friday in the first of the five games and all of the team news for each club can be found here.

You can listen to coverage of all of the matches on BBC DAB and FM local radio, via BBC Sounds or the BBC Sport website and app.

Bath have selected eight internationals who played during the Six Nations in their matchday 23 for the visit of Saracens, including the half-back pairing of Scotland's Finn Russell and England's Ben Spencer to start.

England's Henry Arundell returns to the wing, along with Wales prop Archie Griffin and Scotland flanker Josh Bayliss as Bath aim to complete a league double over the London side.

Saracens have similarly named England duo Ben Earl and Elliot Daly in their matchday 23, but captain Maro Itoje is among those missing.

Bath: De Glanville; Arundell, Lawrence, Ojomoh, Muir; Russell, Spencer (c); Obano, Dunn, Griffin; Roux, Ewels, Bayliss, Reid, Barbeary.

Replacements: Tuipulotu, Van Wyk, Du Toit, Hill, Pepper, Van der Linde, Carreras, Underhill.

Saracens: Daly; Elliott, Cinti, Tompkins, Segun; Farrell, Van van Zyl (c); Mawi, Dan, Street; Isiekwe, Tizard, McFarland, Gonzalez, Willis.

Replacements: Hadfield, O'Driscoll, Riccioni, Onyeama-Christie, Earl, Simpson, Burke, Malins.

Harlequins and Gloucester have slotted their Six Nations internationals straight in, with both sides desperate to kick-start this final third of the Prem with a win.

Quins have not won in the league since October, while Gloucester's last Prem victory came in the reverse fixture at the end of November.

England back Marcus Smith starts at fly-half for the hosts, partnering with Stu Townsend at nine for the first time since October. Caden Murley also returns from England straight onto the wing.

The Cherry and Whites have England centre Seb Atkinson and Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams set to start, while Wales centre Max Llewellyn makes his first appearance since December after recovering from a knee injury.

Harlequins: David; Isgro, Waghorn, Bradley, Murley; Smith, Townsend; Kerrod, Walker, Williams; Petti, Treadwell, Kenningham, Driscoll, Dombrandt (c).

Replacements: Musk, Hobson, Delgado, Green, Carr, Friday, Benson, Green.

Gloucester: Redshaw; Joseph, Llewellyn, S. Atkinson, Ollie Thorley; C. Atkinson, Williams (c); Rapava Ruskin, Innard, Fasogbon; Clark, Alemanno, Clement, Ludlow, Trenholm.

Replacements: Boyle-Tiatia, Bleuler, Knight, Thomas, Gwynne, Englefield, Barton, Edwards-Giraud

Northampton Saints had the most players of any Prem club in England's Six Nations squad - nine - but just two of those are involved in the match with the league's bottom side Newcastle in full-back George Furbank and prop Emmanuel Iyogun, although the pair did not play a single minute in the tournament.

The Prem leaders resume with a two-point advantage at the top and will be led by former Newcastle number eight Callum Chick.

As for Chick's old side, who sit bottom after 10 rounds, it is a first game in charge for former Wales fly-half Stephen Jones as head coach and there is a 150th appearance for the club for fly-half Brett Connon.

Northampton: Furbank; Pater, Hutchinson, Litchfield, Ramm; Belleau, McParland; Iyogun, R Smith, Green, Prowse, Munga, Lockett, Pearson, Chick (c).

Replacements: Langdon, West, Kundiona, Ainsworth-Cave, Ulcoq, James, Thame, Sleightholme.

Newcastle: E Obatoyinbo; Spencer, Hearle, Arnold, H Obatoyinbo; Connon, Benitez Cruz; Brocklebank, McGuigan (c), Palframan, Clarke, Scott, Parsons, Christie, Leatherbarrow.

Replacements: Fletcher, McCallum, Little, Hawkins, Gordon, Elliott, Beeckmans, Chamberlain.

Exeter boss Rob Baxter has brought back his star names as the Chiefs try and banish the memory of last week's 66-14 Prem Cup final drubbing at Leicester.

Australia flanker Tom Hooper is back after two months out with a knee injury while internationals such as Henry Slade, Stephen Varney, Dafydd Jenkins and Andrea Zambonin are all back after the Six Nations.

Raffi Quirke returns from England duty in one of just two changes from the Sale side that beat Bristol Bears in their final Prem Rugby Cup fixture.

Centre Marius Louw is also back as boss Alex Sanderson names an unchanged forward pack.

Exeter: Woodburn; Brown-Bampoe, Slade, Rigg, Ridl; Skinner, Varney; Sio, Yeandle, Tchumbadze, Jenkins (capt), Zambonin, Hooper, Vintcent, Fisilau.

Replacements: Heaven, Goodrick-Clarke, J Roots, Pearson, Worley Brady, Cairns, Haydon-Wood, D John.

Sale: Carpenter; O'Flaherty, Louw, Ma'asi-White, Reed; R du Preez, Quirke; McIntyre, Jibulu, Harper, van Rhyn (capt), Bamber, Verrmeulen, Dugdale, D du Preez.

Replacements: Caine, McEachran, W John, Gilmore, Logan, Warr, Davies, Wills.

Captain Ollie Chessum is among a host of internationals to immediately return to Leicester Tigers duties in the Prem a week after the Six Nations came to an end.

Chessum, Joe Heyes, and Jack van Poortvliet, who is named on the bench for Tigers, all featured in England's defeat by France, while Olly Cracknell and Nicky Smith were in action for Wales against Italy just a week ago.

The availability of the internationals means there are several changes made to the Tigers side that claimed the Prem Cup trophy on Sunday with victory against Exeter Chiefs.

Meanwhile, Bristol have given England's Ellis Genge, Wales star Louis Rees-Zammit and Scotland's Tom Jordan a week off.

Winger Gabriel Ibitoye, however, will make his first Prem start since the club's opening round win against Tigers.

Leicester Tigers: Steward, Hamer-Webb, Wand, Bailey, Hassell-Collins, Searle, Whiteley; Smith, Blamire, Heyes, Liebenberg, Chessum, Moro, Watson, Cracknell.

Replacements: Theobald-Thomas, Van der Flier, Hurd, Thomas, Palmer, Van Poortvliet, O'Connor, Perese.

Bristol Bears: Heward, Ravouvou, Janse van Rensburg, Williams, Ibitoye, Worsley, Randall; Woolmore, Oghre, Kloska, Dun, Owen, Luatua, Harding, Mata.

Replacements: Gwilliam, Lahiff, Chawatama, Taylor, Grondona, Marmion, Moroni, Boshoff.