Salford host in-form Catalans Dragons on Sunday, with both sides eager to pick up another two points. ย Here’sย everything you need to know…
TEAM FORM GUIDE
Salford
Enjoying a positive season, Salford encouraged that notion with an impressive 12-22 win at Warrington last time out.
Tries from Lannon, Welham and a brace from Inu saw the Red Devils record another brilliant away win.
Catalan
The French side go into the game brimming with confidence after a comfortable victory last time out.
Sam Tomkins scored a hattrick as they held off a spirited Huddersfield Giants comeback to take the two points home from West Yorkshire.
SQUAD NEWS
Salford
Lee Mossop and http://gty.im/905711886 are back for the Red Devils. The pair missed Salford’s stunning win against Warrington a week ago but are in line to face the French side.
Salford’s 19-man squad: Evalds, Welham, Bibby, Mossop, Dudson, Jones, Flanagan, Lussick, Walker, Burke, McCarthy, Tomkins, Olpherts, Lawton, Inu, Lannon, Lolohea, Hastings, Johnson.
Catalan
The Dragons make three alterations to their 19-man squad for the trip to Greater Manchester. Fouad Yaha, Matty Smith and Benjamin Jullien all come into the side in place of Jodie Broughton, Samisoni Langi and Kenny Edwards.
Catalan’s 19-man squad: Gigot, Mead, Wiliame, Smith, Casty, McIlorum, Garcia, Bousquet, Simon, Jullien, Whitley, Da Costa, Goudemand, Albert, Maria, Romano, Yaha, Kasiano, Tomkins.
HEAD TO HEAD
In 2018, both sides won their respective home fixtures, and it was expected to be the same this term when the sides met in March – but it wasn’t.
Salford claimed their first win in Perpignan in eight years by humiliating Catalans 0-46 in their own back yard when the two sides met in France. George Griffin and Jake Bibby both crossed twice as the English side ran in eight unanswered tries.
KEY BATTLE
Krishnan Inu (Salford) v Fouad Yaha (Catalan)
Inu, like his teammates, is enjoying one of his best seasons to date and showed why with his two storming tries in the win at Warrington in his last game.
If he plays well, Salford will have every chance of victory. Yaha, meanwhile, has scored 12 tries in 13 Super League games this season and has the best try-to-game ratio in the division.
His decisive decision making and clinical nature mean that he is surely the man to stop if the hosts want to get the win on Sunday.
THE IMPORTANT DETAILS
Date: Sunday 21st July 2019
Venue: AJ Bell Stadium
Kick-off: 15:00 BST
Referee: Chris Kendall
WHO WILL WIN?
After Salford walked all over Catalans in the reverse fixture, it would be easy to predict more of the same, but a lot has changed in the four months that have passed.
Catalans have new life and, after Sam Tomkins’ the brilliant hattrick in the win at Huddersfield last time out, they will be confident of getting revenge for March’s horror show.
