European Champions Cup: Ulster v Clermont betting preview, free tips, TV details

Rugby Union tips, best bets and predictions for Ulster v Clermont in the European Champions Cup.

Where to watch

BT Sport 2, 7.45pm Friday

Best bet

Ulster +3
1pt 10-11 Hills
Back this tip with William Hill

Match preview

Classy French outfit Clermont signalled their intentions to have another tilt at a first Champions Cup crown in Marseille in May with their seven-try 53-21 success over Harlequins on Saturday evening.

However, head coach Franck Azema and his men aren't expecting another Pool 3 stroll at the Kingspan Stadium against 1999 kings of Europe and 2012 runners-up Ulster.

The best bet, on what is forecast to be a wet and windy night in Belfast, looks to be the hosts with a three-point start.

Ulster showed great battling qualities to beat Bath 17-16 at the Rec in Saturday's round-one showpiece when they kept the West Countrymen to one try for all their possession and territory and nabbed two opportunist, turnover scores themselves.

Dan McFarland's charges have won all three of their Pro14 home games this season against Ospreys, Cardiff and Zebre.

Last year's Challenge Cup winners are a clear step up in quality on these outfits but Clermont have won only two of five Top 14 away games and one of those was at bottom-of-the-pile Stade Francais.

Ulster have won both of the teams' recent meetings in Belfast - 16-11 in 2011 and 39-32 in 2016 - and have prevailed in their last six home Champions Cup group games including a 26-22 triumph over 2018 runners-up Racing Metro and a 20-13 victory over La Rochelle.

Indeed, their 2017 26-22 Belfast defeat to Bordeaux is just one of four in their last 32 European pool-stage encounters in front of their own fans.

In the Challenge Cup, three of the five games are between teams who won their first pool matches last weekend. Toulon and Edinburgh both give up nine points to Scarlets and Bordeaux respectively while Bristol, who have won three of their last four Challenge Cup meetings in France, get a four-point start for the trip to Brive.

Bears boss Pat Lam has said that he is targeting the competition and has named a decent side for their Stade Amedee Domenech clash.

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