Glasgow Warriors boss Gregor Townsend has backed first-time captain Jonny Gray to stand up and deliver as the table-toppers face a tough test from Connacht in Galway.

Gray, 21, returns after a lay-off and lines up with Leone Nakarawa at lock, who replaces Al Kellock, while Fraser Brown and Euan Murray – in his first appearance since January – slot back in at hooker and tight-head respectively.

Among the backs Stuart Hogg has got over his injury hump to return at full-back and Niko Matawalu is the man chosen on the wing for the injured DTH van der Merwe.

Elsewhere, Ryan Grant and Duncan Weir are well on the road to recovery after being named among the replacements.

Glasgow have lost just once in their last six GUINNESS PRO12 matches but have not notched an away win in all tournaments since their triumph over Zebre in February.

And Townsend is well aware that run could continue if his side don’t dig deep enough at the Sportsground.

"Connacht are a well-coached team that play with passion and ambition, and we respect them very highly,” said Townsend. “They have played well this season and are challenging for a top-six finish.

"We welcome back a number of Scotland internationals and we're delighted that Jonny Gray has been given the opportunity to captain the side from the start of the game.

"We enjoy playing at the Sportsground as there is always a really good atmosphere thanks to the vocal home support and we know we'll have to be fully focused for the full 80 minutes in order to deliver the level of performance required."

Jack Carty will pull the strings for Connacht at No.10 amid an otherwise unchanged back-line, while academy lock Ultan Dillane gets the nod alongside Aly Muldowney and Eoin McKeon packs down in the back-row.

The Irish province must overcome some unwanted records too – they haven’t beaten the Warriors since February 2011.

And with Connacht gunning for a top-six finish, coach Pat Lam is confident his side will bring the intensity required to beat the Scottish high-flyers.

"You could say this is our toughest game of the season with who we are up against and what is on the line,” said Lam. “We understand the massive importance of (the game) but we have prepared like we would every game. It's up to us to go out and perform as a team.

"Glasgow are the league leaders for a reason. They are a well-coached side with huge depth in their squad of internationals and they are the number one offloading team who can score plenty of tries. So defensively, we will have to be spot on.

"It's a huge challenge but we're really excited by it and the fact that we're at home makes it even more special.

“The Connacht support has been huge all year. They have carried us home in these big games before and with so much riding on the game, it's great to know that they'll be behind us again."

At Sportsground, 1.05pm Live on TG4/BBC ALBA
Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR, 40th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Andy Brace, Oisin Quinn (both IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: Dennis Templeton (IRFU)
TMO: Dermot Moloney (IRFU)