Peter Wright
Former Scotland prop on BBC Radio Scotland

Kieran Marmion controls the tempo of Connacht's game. You've got Tiernan O'Halloran, one of the best attacking full-backs in the league, and Niyi Adeolokun, he's got gas, and I think they want to go back to 2016 when they won the championship and played some great rugby.

They're all good players. They had a poor season last year and were unfortunate against Glasgow not to sneak that win in round one. They had enough opportunities to win it.

This is not going to be a walk in the park for Edinburgh. Man for man, these teams are pretty evenly matched.

Colin Gregor
Former Scotland sevens captain on Radio Scotland

Henry Pyrgos and Simon Hickey were building a relationship and that nine-10 bond is so important.

You almost hope Hickey has been struggling all week to Jaco van der Walt has had a lot of practice time with the team in training.

Edinburgh will miss the ball-carrying of Bill Mata. Last season and this season, he's been one of the stand-out players. Not in the Fijian flair way, he just does the basics very, very well. He wants his hands on the ball and get them over the gain-line. So much that they do comes after he has laid the platform.

Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill says his side remain defiant despite opening their Pro14 campaign with those narrow losses to Ospreys and Ulster.

"There's a great spirit amongst the camp," he said. "I know we've had two losses from two games, but we're in a good place and that doesn't tell the whole story.

"We just need to make sure that we put in the same performance against Connacht as we did against Ulster, and we'll be fine.

"We need to win to get our season up and running and get the points on the board."

Image source, SNS

Peter Wright
Former Scotland prop on BBC Radio Scotland

Mark Bennett will get back, the concern is what level will get back at?

The physical demands of pro rugby nowadays are fantastically high. It'll take a lot, and he'll do it - he's done it before - but it's mentally for Mark now. He's had to rehab nearly a year on his ACL tear, he's now maybe looking at six months for this hamstring injury.

Rehab is one of the hardest things to do because you're always away on your own. You're not training with the rest of the squad.

New signing Simon Hickey has made a fine start to life at Edinburgh, but he's a late withdrawal from the Edinburgh squad.

The fly-half is out with illness, meaning Jaco van der Walt starts at 10. Jamie Farndale takes Van der Walt's spot on the bench.

Colin Gregor
Former Scotland sevens captain on Radio Scotland

The way that rugby is now, all positions have to have a good basic skillset and make good decisions. That's what Andy Friend's trying to empower his Connacht team to go back to doing. There are frameworks in place but the players are the ones on the field - they have to make the decisions and execute.

Connacht head coach Andy Friend says his team are developing "real depth and quality".

"It's how we balance it while rewarding good performances at the same time," he said. "We also really need that physicality against this Edinburgh side.

“This week we are welcoming back two more internationals. Kieran Marmion will start, having come off the bench last week. He is a real quality player and it is great to have him in our starting team after getting an extra break following Ireland’s tour to Australia.

"The other big addition is to have Bundee back. He starts off the bench and is raring to go. We face a big challenge in Murrayfield and no doubt Edinburgh will be hurting after the loss last weekend – it’s another massive challenge for us.

Image source, Inpho

Edinburgh's official supporters club will be signing a "get well soon" card for former player Cornell du Preez this evening, a classy touch for the stricken back-row who is currently recovering from a throat injury in hospital.

It sounds pretty damn gruesome - while playing for Worcester Warriors, the Scotland international fractured his cricoid (Adam's apple) and voice box. He says he's unable to speak for four weeks.

Get well soon, Cornell

Image source, Joe Meredith Photography

Edinburgh: Kinghorn; Fife, Johnstone, Scott, Van der Merwe; Van der Walt, Pyrgos; Schoeman, McInally, Nel, Toolis, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Watson, Hamilton.

Replacements: Ford, Dell, Berghan, McKenzie, Bradbury, Kennedy, Socino, Farndale.

Connacht: O'Halloran; Adeolokun, Griffin, Godwin, Healy; Carty, Marmion; O'Donnell, Heffernan, Bealham, Thornbury, Dillane, O'Brien, Butler, Boyle.

Replacement: Delahunt, McCabe, Robertson-McCoy, Cannon, Fainga'a, Blade, Ronaldson, Aki.

A Grand Slam winner with Ireland, Bundee Aki is in line for his first outing of the season. As you can see from the photo here, he's an absolute unit, and one of the best attacking centres in northern hemisphere rugby.

Ireland scrum-half Kieran Marmion makes his first start of the new campaign.

Image source, Inpho

Hamish Watson is back in the Edinburgh starting XV this week after missing that Belfast sickener to attend the birth of his child.

Winger Duhan van der Merwe has recovered from a brain injury and returns to the home backline.

Viliame Mata misses out with a shoulder knock, but is expected to be back for next weekend's trip to Leinster.

Mark Bennett, as you've probably heard, is set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious hamstring injury, so James Johnstone starts at outside centre.

Image source, SNS

Two Pro14 games down, two agonising defeats and two losing bonus points for Edinburgh.

Richard Cockerill's men lost an error-strewn slog at Ospreys before last week's painful last-gasp defeat at Ulster.

Two points is a meagre return for their efforts in matches they feel they could and should have won.

Tonight, it's their first home outing of the new season and one they're expected to win.

Image source, Inpho