Andy Burke
BBC Scotland rugby reporter at Murrayfield

Great for Edinburgh to be able to call upon their talismanic number eight Bill Mata this evening.

The Fijian didn’t enjoy the best World Cup in Japan, with Richard Cockerill suggesting earlier this week that Mata’s country perhaps failed to use him in the correct way to maximise his impact.

After some barnstorming performances against French sides in Europe last season, Mata is sure to get special attention from Bordeaux this evening.

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Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill has been explaining why he has made so many changes.

"We've got a good squad, we've got a lot of depth," he tells BBC Scotland. "Tonight, a different challenge. Bordeaux are second in French competition and it's a hard competition to be good in.

"They have a new coaching staff, a new regime and have hit the ground running in their domestic comp, so we've brought a bit more experience back in - some more guys who would probably been seen as first choice - and we have to front up and make sure we have a good performance.

"They are too good a side to sit back in defend. We've got to take the game to them. They have a lot of threat in their back line."

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Bordeaux coach Christophe Urios hasn't quite made as many changes as his Edinburgh counterpart but not far off.

There are seven survivors from the starting XV that defeated Wasps.

Among those dropping out are wing Setareki Tamanivalu and scrum-half Yann Lesgourgues, who both scored tries against the English side, and France prop Jefferson Poirot.

However, Argentina wing Santiago Cordero, signed from Exeter Chiefs this summer, Georgia flanker Beka Gorgadze, France lock Alexandre Flanquart and Australia forwards Kane Douglas and Scott Higginbotham come into what looks like an even stronger line-up than last week.

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That fine win in France has not prevented Richard Cockerill making sweeping changes to his team.

Only Scotland lock Grant Gilchrist and Fiji winger Eroni Sau retain their places.

Sau's international team-mate, Bill Mata, is back at number eight in place of Nick Haining, who begins a two-week suspension for striking an Agen opponent with his head.

Scotland squad quartet Blair Kinghorn, Henry Pyrgos, Ben Toolis and Magnus Bradbury are also among those recalled.

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Edinburgh: Kinghorn, Sau, Bennett, Scott, Van der Merwe, Van der Walt, Pyrgos; Schoeman, Willemse, Ceccarelli, Toolis, Gilchrist, Bradbury, Crosbie, Mata.

Replacements: Fenton, Bhatti, Berghan, Douglas, Barclay, Shiel, Hickey, Taylor.

Bordeaux Begles: Buros, Cordero, Radradra, Seuteni, Connor, Jalibert, Lucu; Paiva, Pelissie, Kaulashvili, Douglas, Flanquart, Gorgadze, Woki, Higginbotham.

Replacements: Kovekalou, El Fakir, Marais, Tauleigne, Gimbert, Botica, Tamanivalu.

It's European rugby time again tonight and the turn of Richard Cockerill's Edinburgh to take the stage as they look to continue their promising start to the Challenge Cup.

A 31-10 bonus-point win over Agen in France has the Scots level at the top of Pool 3 along with tonight's visitors, who had an impressive 40-30 home win of their own over Wasps.

Who will be top by the end of the game at Murrayfield? Stay with us for live commentary on BBC Radio Scotland and online to find out.

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