Sale Sharks: 15.Rob Miller, 14.Mark Jennings, 13.Will Addison, 12.Sam Tuitupou, 11.Mark Cueto, 10.Nick Macleod, 9.Nathan Fowles, 1.Eifion Lewis-Roberts, 2.Tommy Taylor, 3.Tony Buckley, 4.Richie Gray, 5.Fraser McKenzie, 6.Richie Vernon, 7.David Seymour (capt.), 8.Andy Powell
Replacements: 16.Joe Ward, 17.Ross Harrison, 18.Vadim Cobilas, 19.Kearnan Myall, 20.James Gaskell, 21.Cillian Willis, 22.Danny Cipriani, 23.Johnny Leota
Sharks' Director of Rugby Bryan Redpath said, "Everybody at the club worked hard last season to qualify for the Heineken Cup. Going into this game, we want to relieve a little bit of the pressure on ourselves. All we're after is a performance like last Friday, to take some of our chances, and I'm sure that win's not far away.
"Cardiff Blues have been a strong side through the years in the Heineken Cup and are the number one seeds in our pool. They'll be a tough nut to crack. We'll approach the game with increased confidence, especially after the first half display against Leicester, and we must make sure that we're smart during the second half.
"Will Addison is a very talented player. He's had to fill in on the wing to cover injuries and a suspension, but I view him as a natural thirteen. Nathan Fowles added a lot of energy when he came on last weekend and didn't look out of place. We're giving him a chance to perform on a big stage and he's got a big role to play. Mark Jennings has played well in the Jets matches and has trained well. He's a physical boy who'll come up against some big players. We need to be on our mettle - it's an opportunity for all three of them to play well in a big game."
The Blues welcome back Alex Cuthbert in the backs in place of Harry Robinson. There are four changes in the forwards with Sam Warburton, Bradley Davies, Marc Breeze and Tafa'ao Filise all returning to the starting XV, having missed the match against Glasgow last Friday.
Speaking ahead of the match, Blues' Head Coach Phil Davies, said, "We have enjoyed a great tradition in the tournament as the Blues. We're one of the top seeds and are very eager to protect that status, so we're keen to do well in the competition as a whole.
"It will be very direct, forward battle on Sunday. There are areas which we can improve on, particularly the consistency with which we perform all the moves.
"We need the players to deliver that for us and we need to make sure that we give them the confidence to do that. We need to encourage them to play positively and get those key fundamentals right."
Cardiff Blues: 15.Leigh Halfpenny, 14.Alex Cuthbert, 13.Gavin Evans, 12.Jamie Roberts, 11.Tom James, 10.Ceri Sweeney, 9.Lloyd Williams, 1.Tafa'ao Filise, 2.Marc Breeze, 3.Benoit Bourrust, 4. Bradley Davies, 5.Lou Reed, 6.Josh Navidi, 7.Sam Warburton, 8 Andries Pretorius (capt.)
Replacements: 16.Andi Kyriacou, 17.Nathan Trevett, 18.Scott Andrews, 19.James Down, 20.Robin Copeland, 21.Lewis Jones, 22.Gareth Davies, 23.Dan Fish
Referee: Jerome Garces (France)
Buy all three tickets for the Heineken Cup group stage fixtures at Salford City Stadium and save up to 35% on adult tickets, 47% on junior tickets and 41% on concession tickets!
To buy your discounted tickets for the Heineken Cup qualifiers call our ticket office on 08444 994 994, Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm. Alternatively, email ticketoffice@salesharks.com with the subject line "Heineken Cup discounted tickets".
