Leicester v Saracens predictions and rugby union tips: Tigers pack can get on top of depleted rivals

Where to watch

BT Sport 1, 3pm Sunday

Best bet

J Montoya to score a try
1pt 5-4 bet365, Hills

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Match preview 

Runaway league leaders Saracens start a Premiership match as underdogs for just the second time this season as they head to Leicester with a side shorn of their key internationals.

Leicester are missing a few as well but can still call on a half-back pairing of England's most-capped player Ben Youngs at scrum-half and World Cup winner Handre Pollard, while there's bags of experience in the backline in Chris Ashton, Jimmy Gopperth and Mike Brown, who is making his Tigers debut.

The upshot is that Sarries are given a four-point handicap start - the only other time they have been underdogs this season was when they were given two points at Exeter in October and won 22-20.

This looks a tougher task without fly-half Owen Farrell as well as forwards Jamie George, Mako Vunipola, Maro Itoje and Ben Earl, although they still have Alex Goode pulling the strings at fly-half in his 350th club start.

Leicester do look to have a stronger line-up but they haven't been a team to trust, having lost their last three Premiership matches, culminating in a 19-18 home defeat to Northampton when they were ten-point favourites last time out.

Losing head coach Steve Borthwick to England has obviously had an effect on the team, and although this is a good opportunity to turn things around, the match-result markets look too tricky to bet on.

A more appealing bet is for Leicester hooker and captain Julian Montoya to get on the scoresheet. The Argentina international has four tries from seven appearances this season and could well cash in if the Tigers pack assert some dominance over their depleted opponents.

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