We can reasonably expect a tight encounter between two evenly matched teams in Italy on Saturday when Benetton host Glasgow Warriors. Both sides have won four and lost five of their Guinness PRO14 matches so far this season, albeit Benetton’s seven bonus points edges them ahead of their opponents on Saturday on points. Kieran Crowley’s men are in good form, too, having earned all of their wins this campaign over the last six matches and they have also won their last three encounters with Scottish opponents. Glasgow, on the other hand, will be aiming for an immediate response following their 1872 Cup defeat to Edinburgh and also seeking revenge for last season’s loss to Benetton. Kick-off: Stadio Monigo | KO 13:00 (UK) KO 14:00 (ITA), Saturday 4 January How to watch: Live on Premier Sports 2, eir sport 1, DAZN, pro14.tv Players to watch out for: Hame Faiva (Benetton), Adam Hastings (Glasgow) After scoring a hat-trick against Italian rivals Zebre, exciting hooker Faiva’s season continues to go from strength to strength (he has seven tries in all competitions now) and the head of steam he has built up will make him even more dangerous against Glasgow. Glasgow’s young fly-half Hastings continues to rapidly develop and his array of creative skills were on show against Edinburgh, with 26 passes and 41 metres gained. He may still have room to grow but the Scotland international is an exciting talent and one of the stars of Dave Rennie’s side. Key stat: Glasgow have lost only one of their last 30 encounters with Italian opponents since 2011: but that was a 20-17 defeat to Benetton in Treviso twelve months ago. Benetton: Jayden Hayward, Leonardo Sarto, Ratuva Tavuyara, Luca Morisi, Monty Ioane, Tommaso Allan, Dewaldt Duvenage ©, Abraham Steyn, Giovanni Pettinelli, Sebastian Negri, Federico Ruzza, Irne Herbst, Marco Riccioni, Hame Faiva, Nicola Quaglio Replacements: Engjel Makelara, Cherif Traore, Tiziano Pasquali, Niccolo Cannone, Eli Snyman, Marco Lazzaroni, Tito Tebaldi, Antonio Rizzi Glasgow Warriors: Ruaridh Jackson, Kyle Steyn, Nick Grigg, Sam Johnson, Niko Matawalu, Pete Horne, George Horne, Aki Seiuli, George Turner, Adam Nicol, Rob Harley, Tim Swinson, Bruce Flockhart, Tom Gordon, Ryan Wilson © Replacements: Grant Stewart, Oli Kebble, Petrus du Plessis, Andrew Davidson, Chris Fusaro, Nick Frisby, Huw Jones, Glenn Bryce
