Sale vs Stade Francais Prediction: Sharks to bite away strugglers Stade

Sale were poor in last Friday’s defeat to Harlequins but are back at home on Sunday when they begin their Champions Cup campaign against Pool 4 rivals Stade Francais.

The Sharks have won four out of four in Salford this season, while Stade have triumphed just once on the road, although they did beat Toulouse at home in their last game, and sit fifth in the Top 14.

With the weather forecast to be overcast and chilly, home flanker Ben Curry says his side will look to expose any away-day doubts within the visiting camp.

It is a cliché that French sides are poor on the road but those slights are often backed up by results and the Parisians lost both of their away games in the pool stages of last season’s Challenge Cup.

With 2022 and 2023 finalists La Rochelle and Leinster also in Pool D, as well as Leicester and Stormers, this could be described as this year’s ‘Group of Death’, placing further emphasis on away performances.

As could bonus points and Sale look to have a real chance of making a winning start to their campaign, and in significant style.

Match Odds

Sale are just 2/9 to win the match, with the tie 22/1 and Stade 10/3 to cause an upset.

The last away team to beat Sale were Toulouse.

Team news

The big team news for Sale is the return of centre Manu Tuilagi from a hand injury, while Tom O’Flaherty comes in on the wing and Sam James starts at outside centre.

Curry is fit to play and will captain the side, but his twin brother Tom is expected to miss the rest of the season following hip surgery.

James will line up directly against Stade captain Jeremy Ward, who leads the side from the midfield, while Argentina prop Francisco Gomez Kodela will provide muscle from the bench.

England centre Joe Marchant misses the game and Stade’s selection hints that they may already be looking towards next Sunday’s clash with Leicester at the Stade Jean Bouin.

Sale to win by over 12 points @ 21/20

Sale will have been wounded by last Friday’s 36-3 reverse at Twickenham Stoop but are generally excellent on their own patch and are unbeaten at home in the league in over a year.

Stade are similarly solid in Paris but often mixed on the road, lacking the same vibrant support that usually gets behind them in the 16th arrondissement.

They provide Sale with the perfect chance to prove themselves, with George Ford having extra motivation to perform after being overshadowed by England rival Marcus Smith in the defeat at Quins.

The Sharks could go big on Sunday, so expect a handy win ahead of next Saturday’s unenviable trip to Leinster.

Rugby Union Betting tips, from Insights.