Sale Sharks will be seeking to end a losing in run in France as they travel to ASM Clermont Auvergne in the Heineken Champions Cup on Sunday. The Gallagher Premiership side have lost on their last nine trips across the Channel in the competition, by an average margin of 21 points. They have, however, won two of their last three away games in the Heineken Champions Cup – having lost the previous 14 before that. The Pool A match kicks off at Stade Marcel Michelin at 5.30pm (UK & Irish time) and is available to watch on BT Sport and beIN Sports. Other key facts

Sale and Clermont will face each other for the fifth time in the Heineken Champions Cup. Each of their four previous meetings have come in the pool stage; Sale won their two encounters in 2008/09 before Clermont did the same in 2014/15.
Clermont have lost their last four home games in the Heineken Champions Cup, their longest losing streak at home in the competition; they had won 35 of their previous 37 games at Marcel-Michelin, losing the other two.
Clermont have carried the ball for 828 metres from their 102 carries in the Heineken Champions Cup this season. Their average of 8.1 metres per carry is the second best of any team after fellow TOP 14 side Racing 92 (9.0).
Alivereti Raka (Clermont) has made three line breaks in the Heineken Champions Cup this season. Only Munster Rugby’s Andrew Conway (4) has made more. Raka has also averaged 12.1 metres per carry in the competition so far this season, the second best rate of any player to make more than 10 carries in the competition in 2021/22 (Theo Cabango leads with 17.7).

https://twitter.com/ChampionsCup/status/1481347750520410117 Key quote Clermont head coach Jono Gibbes: "After the 80 minutes against Sale, we will know where we are going. Our best option is to put ourselves in a good position to perform well against this Sharks team. We will then see what we need to do before going to Belfast for the final round of qualifiers." Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson: "“The lads were frustrated after last Friday, but right now, having worked off and sweated off the last game, they’re really focused on Clermont, buoyed up and energised for the weekend ahead."