Bristol’s Harry Thacker makes his first Prem start since December as he comes into the front row in place of hooker Gabriel Oghre, who will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on a knee injury sustained away at Newcastle.
With flanker Benjamin Grondona also joining Oghre on the sidelines with a pectoral injury picked up in the same match, his brother Santiago starts at number eight in his place among five changes for the visit of Saracens.
Full-back Noah Heward, wing Kalaveti Ravouvou and scrum-half Kieron Marmion are the other changes as the Bears look to end a run of nine Prem games without beating the London side.
Wins against Sale and Leicester ensure Saracens have kept up the chase on the teams above them but they remain seven points off fourth (six behind Bristol) and know they can’t afford to any drop points.
Saracens have long had the upper hand against the Bears and they travel to Ashton Gate with two just changes to their starting XV.
Ernoi Mawi starts at loosehead prop, with Rhys Carre dropping to the bench and Nick Isiekwe moving to blindside flanker – his first start in that position in more than two years for the club – after Theo McFarland’s first child was born last weekend.
Bristol: Heward; Ravouvou, Moroni, Janse van Rensburg, Ibitoye; Jordan, Marmion; Genge, Thacker, Kloska; Dun, Batley, Owen, Harding (c), Grondona.
Replacements: Gwilliam, Woolmore, Lahiff, Taylor, Cripps, Randall, Williams, Bates.
Saracens: Malins; Caluori, Tompkins, Hartley, Segun; Burke, Bracken; Mawi, George, Street; Itoje (c), Tizzard, Isiekwe, Earl, Willis.
Replacements: Dan, Carre, Clarey, McFarland, Michelow, Van Zyl, Farrell, Elliott.
