Du Preez at fly-half as Ford misses Sale opener

Investec Champions Cup Pool One - Sale Sharks v Glasgow Warriors

Venue: CorpAcq Stadium Date: Friday, 5 December Kick-off: 20:00 GMT

Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, with second half also on BBC Radio 5 Live; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app

Sale are without England duo George Ford and Asher Opoku-Fordjour for their Champions Cup opener against Glasgow Warriors on Friday.

Rob du Preez will switch from centre to start at fly-half in place of Ford, who went off with a groin injury in the Prem defeat by Exeter on 28 November.

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson said in his pre-match news conference he did not know how long Ford's problem would take to clear up, but the 32-year-old "is a quick healer" so he did not anticipate the England number 10 being out of action for an extended spell.

Prop Opoku-Fordjour is set to sidelined for six weeks after hyperextending an elbow joint during a scrum against Exeter, while hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie is not included in Sale's matchday squad.

However, England flanker Ben Curry is on the bench after recovering from surgery on his hamstring.

Glasgow have a host of Scotland internationals back in their squad for the match.

Sione Tuipulotu starts and is partnered at centre by Stafford McDowall, who will make his 100th appearance for the Warriors.

Meanwhile, prop Zander Fagerson will play for his club for the first time since April.

Injury ruled Fagerson out of the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia in the summer, but he returned to action as Scotland concluded their series of autumn internationals with a convincing win over Tonga.

Sale were beaten by Toulouse in the last 16 last season, while Glasgow made it one round further, losing at the quarter-final stage to Leinster.

Friday's game is the first of four pool matches that both sides will play in this season's tournament.

Also in Pool One are Saracens, French duo Toulouse and Clermont Auvergne, and South African side Sharks.

Sale: Reed; O'Flaherty, Ma'asi-White, Louw, Wills; Du Preez, Quirke; McIntyre, Jibulu, John, Burrow, Bamber, Vermeulen, Van Rhyn, T Curry.

Replacements: Caine, Onasanya, Harper, Andrews, B Curry, Warr, Davies, Wehr.

Glasgow: McKay; Steyn, McDowall, Tuipulotu, Smith; Hastings, Horne; McBeth, Hiddleston, Z Fagerson, Williamson, Cummings, M Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey.

Replacements: Stephen, Sutherland, Talakai, Samuel, Brown, Miller, Dobie, Lancaster.

Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)

Assistant referees: Vincent Blasco Baque (France) and Julien Caulier (France)

TMO: Tual Trainini (France)