Our preview pack for Saturday's European Champions Cup final between Saracens and Clermont Auvergne at Murrayfield includes team news, our betting tips, how both sides got here, the latest Sky Bet odds and TV coverage details.
Defending champions Saracens are bidding to complete the first half of what would be a successive European and domestic double when they face Clermont Auvergne at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Sarries, who will turn their focus back to retaining their Aviva Premiership title after this weekend, are the bookies' favourites to triumph but it won't be easy against the French outfit.
Clermont were runners-up to Toulon in the 2013 and 2015 finals and victory on Saturday would represent their first European Cup.
Saracens v Clermont Auvergne: Team news
Date: Saturday, May 13
Kick-off time: 1700 BST
TV Channel: Sky Sports 3
Venue: Murrayfield
Saracens
15. Alex Goode; 14. Chris Ashton, 13. Marcelo Bosch, 12. Brad Barritt, 11. Chris Wyles; 10. Owen Farrell, 9. Richard Wigglesworth; 1. Mako Vunipola, 2. Jamie George, 3. Vincent Koch, 4. Maro Itoje, 5. George Kruis, 6. Michael Rhodes, 7. Jackson Wray, 8. Billy Vunipola
Replacements: 16. Schalk Brits, 17. Titi Lamositele, 18. Petrus du Plessis, 19. Jim Hamilton, 20. Schalk Burger, 21. Ben Spencer, 22. Alex Lozowski, 23. Duncan Taylor
Clermont
15. Scott Spedding; 14. David Strettle, 13. Aurélien Rougerie, 12. Remi Lamerat, 11. Nick Abendanon; 10. Camille Lopez, 9. Morgan Parra; 1. Raphael Chaume, 2. Benjamin Kayser, 3. Davit Zirakashvili, 4. Arthur Iturria, 5. Sébastien Vahaamahina, 6. Damien Chouly, 7. Peceli Yato, 8. Fritz Lee
Replacements: 16. John Ulugia, 17. Etienne Falgoux, 18. Aaron Jarvis, 19. Paul Jedrasiak, 20. Alexandre Lapandry, 21. Ludovic Radosavljevic , 22. Pato Fernandez, 23. Damian Penaud
Saracens v Clermont: Betting tips & prediction
Saracens are favourites to topple Clermont Auvergne and retain the European Champions Cup on Saturday, writes Steve Bramley.
The current kings of Europe are odds-on shots to become only the fourth club in history to successfully defend rugby’s showpiece when they take on the exciting French outfit at Murrayfield.
The Men In Black are also targeting a record 18th match unbeaten in the tournament, ironically Clermont were the last side to beat them in the semi-finals back in 2015.
Since then it has been a relentless march littered with silverware, and barring a French raid in Edinburgh on Saturday the trophy will surely be heading back to Hendon.
I tipped up Sarries at the start of the season to complete back-to-back doubles and despite last week’s defeat at Wasps, which saw them miss out on a home semi-final in next week’s Aviva Premiership play-offs, I still believe they will have too much firepower for Clermont and complete the first leg of that double in style.
Saracens swept into the final with a crushing 26-10 victory over Munster in Dublin, a victory that was built on a solid defensive display and finished off by the boot of England’s Owen Farrell.
Clermont, who lost to Toulon in Europe's top club tournament in the 2013 and 2015 finals also put pay to hope of Irish representatives in the final by edging out Leinster 27-22.
It’s easy to make a case for Clermont. They are an exciting, free-scoring side, packed with internationals and desperate to claim the title at the third attempt. They also have the better head-to-head record having won five of their eight meetings with their English rivals.
But despite that, they have earned themselves a bit of a chokers tag and apart from their two final defeats, they have won on one of their 12 French final appearances – and that came at the 11th attempt.
They also nearly blew a commanding position, when 15-3 ahead at the break, in their semi-final against Leinster and needed the boot for French international Camille Lopez to kick them to safety.
In contrast, Saracens are battle-hardened and it’s that experience on the big stage that will prove crucial.
I honestly can’t see Saracens slipping up here. It will be close but take Saracens to get home between 1-12 pts at 11/8.
Two players who might be worth a little interest in the tryscorer markets are former Saracens wing David Strettle and Chris Ashton, who could find an opening in what is certain to be a match of few opportunities.
Strettle, who scored in the semi-final success over Leinster, will be determined to put one over on his former club and is 3/1 to cross at any time for Clermont.
Ashton, who is one try away from becoming the highest tryscorer in the tournament’s history, also has a habit of taking centre stage in big matches and is worth a punt at 13/2 to score the first try.
Sporting Life suggestions:
Saracens to win by 1-12 points at 11/8
David Strettle to score a try at any time at 3/1
Chris Ashton to score the first try at 13/2
Saracens v Clermont Auvergne: Sky Bet odds
Saracens are 1/2 favourites with Sky Bet to successfully defend the European Champions Cup when they face Clermont at Murrayfield.
Their French opponents are 6/4 to finally get their hands on the trophy after two previous failed attempts in the 2013 and 2015 finals.
Sarries, beat French side Racing 92 in the 2016 final, have a five-point deficit on the handicap market, which sees both sides priced up at 10/11.
Check out all of Sky Bet's Saracens v Clermont odds!
Roads to Murrayfield
Saracens
Saracens topped Pool 3 ahead of Toulon, Scarlets and Sale with the third best record of all the sides that reached the knockout stages.
They won five of their six games with a points difference of +94 , while their only dropped points came in a draw with the Scarlets.
In the quarter-finals they defeated Glasgow 38-13 before battling past Munster26-10 in a hard-fought semi-final.
Clermont Auvergne
Clermont Auvergne qualified for the knockout stages with the best record of all after picking up 26 points in Pool 5 alongside Bordeaux Begles, Exeter and Ulster.
They were somewhat unfortunate to face eighth-ranked Toulon, who won the trophy in 2013, 2014 and 2015, in the quarter-finals but they overcame that test 29-9 before defeating Leinster 27-22 in the last four.
Saracens v Clermont: Key quotes
Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall on Clermont: "It takes a certain type of club to keep coming back as they have done. They are constantly in the top two in the TOP14 and reaching the knock-out stages of the Champions Cup.
"There is something different about them compared to other French teams. They have been together for a long time and have a real core to them - you can see the spirit.
"In terms of their rugby, they have everything - a fantastic pack of forwards and a good scrum; half-backs who manage and control games and then some real firepower in the back line."
Saracens captain Brad Barritt on his successful side's potential legacy: "To be honest, it's not something that we actually talk about. We talk about enjoying the ride.
"A big lesson we learned last year was at the culmination of the season - you have this euphoria for two days and then it dissipates and dies down and you start thinking towards next season.
"The more you actually think about it, the enjoyment comes from the journey, the procedure of getting there, the step-by-step process of achieving something you set out to do.
"That's the way we have attacked this year - we wanted to learn, improve and get better as a team. We know the sense of enjoyment is through the journey and not necessarily at the end of it.
"We made it pretty clear we weren't going to be a flash in the pan. But we have never spoken in terms of how great a legacy we want to create."
Clermont's former Saracens and England winger, David Strettle: "Saracens don't have a bad day, they are consistently good. They are for me the number one team in Europe.
"However, Clermont's good days are better than Saracens' good days. So, if we are playing well, we can win."
Clermont head coach Franck Azema: "I know the history of the club and we are very proud of what we have done in the past and our ability to get to finals, and to win titles and lose titles as well.
"We are very consistent and our history shows this. We should be proud of it and carry it with us.
"But we have the opportunity to write a new chapter. Not to erase the history but simply to write something new."
Saracens also lost to Toulon in the final, in 2014, but won the trophy last year by beating Racing. And Azema admits he is an admirer of their commitment to the cause.
"They have a deep belief in their project," said Azema, whose side finished second behind La Rochelle in this season's Top 14 standings.
"For the last three years they have developed their philosophy and they have major confidence in what they are doing, and results have followed.
"We will try to play our regular game, what we have been doing since the beginning of the season. We will be realistic and pragmatic.
"We know there will be a lot of pressure from Saracens and we know they can play excellent rugby. But we will stick to the way we play. Changing it would be dangerous.
"If we can surprise them we will, but at this stage of the season we must be reassured and confident about what we have done and what we can achieve.
"Of course there can be some fine-tuning, depending on the scenario and what Saracens decide to do. We can be flexible. We need to find a balance and find any cracks and exploit them."
Saracens v Clermont Auvergne: Opta facts
Saracens could become the fourth team to win back-to-back Champions Cup titles, after Leicester Tigers, Leinster Rugby and RC Toulon.
Both these clubs are playing in their third Champions Cup final, only Toulouse (6), Leicester Tigers (5) and Munster Rugby (4) have reached this stage more often (Leinster Rugby and RC Toulon also 3 times).
Saracens have won one and lost one of their two previous finals, while Clermont have lost both games when reaching this stage; no side has ever played in three finals without winning at least once.
This will be the fifth season in a row that the Champions Cup final has involved either Clermont (2012/13, 2014/15) or Saracens (2013/14, 2015/16), however it will be the first time the two have met in the showpiece event.
This will be the third time Murrayfield has hosted the final, the two previous finals in the Scottish capital were each won by margins of fewer than seven points, with Toulouse beating Stade Francais 18-12 after extra time in 2004/05 while Leinster defeated Leicester 19-16 in 2008/09.
This will be the seventh Anglo-French final and the third in the last four seasons; both of Saracens’ finals have been against French opposition but this will be the first time Clermont have faced a team from outside the TOP14 in the final.
Four of the last six European Cup finals have been decided by margins of more than seven points, just three of the 15 finals before that had been decided by such a margin.
This will be the eighth meeting between ASM Clermont Auvergne and Saracens, the TOP14 club have won five of the previous seven clashes between the sides including two of three knockout ties.
Saracens are unbeaten in their last 17 games in the Champions Cup (W16, D1), equaling Leinster’s record which was set between 2010 and 2012 (also W16, D1).
This game will be Clermont’s 100th in the Champions Cup; they’ve won 62, drawn one and lost 36 of their previous 99 games.
Saracens are yet to concede a first-half try so far this season, however Clermont have scored more tries than any other side in the first 40 minutes of matches (16).
Chris Ashton needs just one try to become the outright top try scorer in the Champions Cup, he is currently level with Vincent Clerc on 36 tries.
Saracens have maintained a success rate of 90+% at both the lineout and scrum this season, one of only two teams to do so (also RC Toulon).
The three busiest tacklers this season could all feature in this game; no other player has made as many tackles as Sebastien Vahaamahina (90), Michael Rhodes (82) or Benjamin Kayser (80).
Saracens v Clermont Auvergne: Last six matches
Saracens
Wasps 35-15 Saracens (Aviva Premiership)
Saracens 27-9 Bristol (Aviva Premiership)
Munster 10-26 Saracens (European Champions Cup)
Northampton 25-27 Saracens (Aviva Premiership)
Saracens 40-19 Harlequins (Aviva Premiership)
Saracens 38-13 Glasgow Warriors (European Champions Cup)
Clermont Auvergne
Clermont 30-26 La Rochelle (TOP14)
Lyon 20-23 Clermont (TOP14)
Clermont 27-22 Leinster (European Champions Cup)
Grenoble 18-59 Clermont (TOP14)
Clermont 21-26 Brive (TOP14)
Clermont 29-9 Toulon (European Champions Cup)