Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac admits he is drawing confidence from the attitude of his younger players as his injury-hit side look to get back to winning ways in the GUINNESS PRO12 against Zebre.

An emphatic victory over Leicester Tigers in Europe last weekend came at a price with Jake Ball, Richard Kelly and Lewis Rawlins joining an extensive casualty list at Parc y Scarlets.

With 18 players unavailable through injury or international duties, John Barclay will captain the side for the first time in the unfamiliar No.8 jersey, with Kirby Myhill and James Davies joining him in the pack.

Steven Shingler takes the reins at fly-half to form a half-back pairing with Aled Davies as the Welsh side hope to bounce back from a 17-6 defeat at Munster in round six.

And with Scarlets conceding only four tries in their last three games and unbeaten in 11 encounters at home, Pivac insists they have the strength in depth to see off the challenge of Zebre.

"I think we started turning a bit of a corner out in Munster," Pivac told the South Wales Evening Post. "We may have lost that game, but there were improvements there.

"In terms of our defence, the coach Byron Hayward is doing a great job and the boys are really buying into what we are doing there.

"You can see the difference, not only against Leicester on the weekend, but in the last couple of weeks.

"We had a defence session on Tuesday morning and we had more communication and chatter going on than we have had all season. The guys who have been given the opportunity are obviously relishing it."

Zebre recorded a maiden European triumph with victory over Brive last weekend to back up resilient performances against Ospreys and Leinster in the GUINNESS PRO12.

South African No.8 Andries van Schalkwyk returns to the side to become the first player to reach 50 caps for Zebre, having recovered from an injury sustained in defeat to Ulster in round two.

Matteo Pratichetti lines up alongside Mirco Bergamasco in the midfield as Andrea Cavinato’s side go in search of their second win of the season after a 13-6 victory over Ulster in round four.

And having been impressed by the Italians in their last three GUINNESS PRO12 outings, Scarlets lock Johan Snyman is wary of the threat Zebre pose to his side’s home record.

"Zebre have definitely stepped it up, they came close to beating the Ospreys, who have been the most consistent team in the GUINNESS PRO12 so far,” Snyman told the South Wales Evening Post.

“They are playing with a lot of enthusiasm and are the Italian team to beat at the moment.

"We really want to keep some consistency going. There have been a lot of changes this week with the Welsh boys leaving and some injuries as well.

"But we don't want to use that as an excuse – younger boys are going to get a chance, some have been waiting seven weeks for this chance and the senior players are going to have to step up.”

At Parc y Scarlets, 6pm.
Referee: Gary Conway (IRFU, 4th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Wayne Davies, Greg Morgan (both WRU)
Citing Commissioner: Aurwel Morgan (WRU)