Jonathan Davies
Former Wales international on BBC One

The year 1999 was quite a season for these teams. Scotland won the final Five Nations championship, with a huge helping hand from their Celtic cousins.

Scott Gibbs' try, converted by Neil Jenkins, earned Wales a Wembley triumph over England and handed the title to Scotland on the final day.

The teams' Murrayfield meeting 20 years ago was remarkable too, mainly for this try scored by John Leslie right from kick-off. It was the fastest-ever international try.

Viewers of a certain vintage will remember that barnstorming counterattack try and that wonderful oratory from the late, great Bill McLaren back in 1982.

Bask in it, and five more Scottish stunners against Wales, in the video below...

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend on BBC Radio Scotland: "We've got to do what we know works for us and play to our strengths and find a way around this very good defence of theirs.

"We've got to deal with their kicking game, they kick a lot and I imagine that won't change.

"You don't get too many chances playing teams in the top three in the world. You've got to work hard to create them and make sure you finish them off.

"Whether it's backs-to-the-wall or the challenge of playing one of the best teams in the world, that brings the best out of us. We played England here 12 months ago, they'd been on a great winning run, and we played some of the best rugby we've done for a number of years. That's what it's going to have to be today again."

Image source, SNS

Scotland have never beaten Wales with Warren Gatland in charge - 10 Tests played, 10 lost. They did win this fixture in 2017 but that was when Rob Howley led Wales with Gatland preparing for the British and Irish Lions tour.

The New Zealander is two victories away from an historic third Grand Slam - no other coach in championship history has achieved that honour.

Three Grand Slams...that's all Scotland have mustered in the entire history of the Five and Six Nations.

Image source, Getty Images

In his BBC Sport column this week, Wales centre Hadleigh Parkes spoke of his admiration for Russell. The Scotland fly-half is back in the team today after missing the trip to Paris as he recovered from concussion.

"It's really good to see him back out there. There's a lot written about head injuries at the moment, so that's the most important thing," Parkes said.

"What he did for Glasgow, winning the Pro12, what he's done for Scotland for a number of years - he's a fantastic player.

"He's got a bit of x-factor about him. He's quick and you don't know what he's going to do - he's got the chip kick, he's got the long pass, he can step, he's got the short pass game.

"He's doing really well for Racing 92 and he looks like he's enjoying the game too. He's a factor that we have to account for when we look at the Scotland team as a whole.

"Scotland feed off him a lot and he is a good player - when he's played well then Scotland, Racing or Glasgow have played well."

Image source, Getty Images

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport reporter at Murrayfield

Finn Russell came out onto the pitch well over an hour before kick-off, and ahead of any team-mates, to practice his goal-kicking. Much may rest on his accuracy from the tee in what could be a tight match, with extra pressure on his shoulders given usual kicker Laidlaw has not been picked to start.

The Racing 92 fly-half looked calm and relaxed, and he might well be confident: during Scotland's last Six Nations home meeting with Wales in 2017 he kicked 19 points on the way to a first win in this fixture in a decade.

Image source, SNS

Sara Orchard
BBC rugby union reporter

Image source, BBC Sport

Darcy Graham on Scotland’s roll of honour after his debut against Wales in the autumn. Today the elfin winger gets a first start as he comes in following injury to Maitland. At a mere 5ft 9in and 75kg, his head-to-head (or head-to-chest...) with 6ft 4in, 109kg George North will be intriguing...

Gregor Townsend has dropped captain and scrum-half Greig Laidlaw to the bench for today's game.

This isn't actually a great shock. Scotland's attacking play has been far too pedestrian for Townsend's liking and in Ali Price, he has a faster, more dangerous and in-form alternative to the canny little Borderer.

Finn Russell is back from concussion and partners Price, with Pete Horne shifting from fly-half to inside centre.

Watch out for buzz-bomb Darcy Graham, earning his first start on the wing with Sean Maitland injured.

Back in to the pack comes fit-again prop WP Nel with barnstorming flanker Hamish Watson poised to make his first outing of the championship from the bench. Stuart McInally captains the team.

Image source, SNS

Wales make only the one injury-enforced change for their trip north.

Lock Cory Hill, who scored the first of two Welsh tries against England, drops out to be replaced in the boiler house by Adam Beard.

Jake Ball is elevated to the bench.

Here's a reminder of the teams this afternoon...

Scotland:15-Kinghorn; 14-Seymour, 13-Grigg, 12-P Horne, 11-Graham; 10-Russell, 9-Price; 1-Dell, 2-McInally (capt), 3-Nel, 4-Gilchrist, 5-J Gray, 6-Bradbury, 7-Ritchie, 8-Strauss.

Replacements:16-Brown, 17-Reid, 18-Berghan, 19-Toolis, 20-Watson, 21-Laidlaw, 22-Hastings, 23-McGuigan.

Wales:15-L Williams; 14-North, 13-J Davies, 12-Parkes, 11-Adams; 10-Anscombe, 9-G Davies; 1-R Evans, 2-Owens, 3-Francis, 4-Beard, 5-AW Jones (c), 6-Navidi, 7-Tipuric, 8-Moriarty.

Replacements:16- Dee, 17-Smith, 18-Lewis, 19-Ball, 20-Wainwright, 21-A Davies, 22-Biggar, 23-Watkin.

As you can see, Wales are the only team still on for a Grand Slam.

England and Ireland aren't far behind them in the standings, having each won two of their three games.

Scotland are labouring away in the lower reaches of the table and badly need a win to revitalise their campaign.

Image source, BBC Sport

Scotland's record against Wales is pretty abject.

Since the Five Nations became six in 2000, they've managed four wins, the most recent of which came at Murrayfield two years ago.

They've taken some hideous shellackings in that time too - their 51-3 Cardiff humiliation in 2014, after having Stuart Hogg sent off, was Wales' biggest-ever championship victory.

Image source, SNS

Welsh Rugby Union chairman Gareth Davies says "the wheels came off" during a "tough week" for the domestic game in Wales.

Frankly, "tough" is putting it mildly.

In the last seven days, we've had reports the Scarlets and Ospreys were to merge, strongly-worded statements from either team and the Ospreys chairman resigning in protest, taking a mighty swing at the WRU as he did so.

It seems the merger is now off - or at the very least stalled - but what heinous timing with the national team hunting a Grand Slam.

Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones addressed the debacle at his press conference this week.

"We're aware it's not just about the guys in the national squad, it's the guys in the regions as well and their staff etc," he said.

"For us it's not a case of carry on regardless, it's a case of being sympathetic to the situation. We want a few more answers after the Six Nations, but we've got a job to get on with."

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Here we go...it's the penultimate round of the Six Nations and two teams in very contrasting form meet at Murrayfield.

Wales are motoring just now. They're on a record run of 12 wins. They've won three from three in the championship, the last of them a brutally thunderous triumph over England in Cardiff. They're two victories from what would be Warren Gatland's record third Grand Slam as head coach.

Scotland? They're on the struggle wagon, big-time. After beating Italy, Gregor Townsend's troops were suffocated by Ireland and battered by the French.

How they need a win. How they need a big scalp to repair their fragile confidence.

Will Wales continue their powerful pursuit of the slam? Or can Scotland rise to derail the dragon?

Image source, Getty Images