Saints our biggest game of league season - Wilson

Danny Wilson is hoping for a big atmosphere when Harlequins welcome Premiership champions Northampton Saints to The Stoop on Friday

Friday's Premiership game against Northampton Saints is Harlequins' "biggest match of the league season", says head coach Danny Wilson.

The sides sit seventh and eighth in the table after inconsistent starts to the campaign and meet at Twickenham Stoop knowing a win is vital to keep them in play-off contention going into the international break.

Quins progressed to the last 16 of the European Champions Cup with a 24-7 win over Glasgow Warriors on Saturday.

And Wilson has called on his players to build on that performance when they welcome the Premiership champions to The Stoop.

"This is our biggest league game of the season so far. It's a huge game for us," he told BBC Radio London.

"We've put a lot on these two games and the long-term aim is being able to fight on both fronts; being able to come out of Europe, have changes to your squad and then go again in the league.

"A goal was to get out of the group, we've done that. Now we've got to back it up.

James Chisholm is set to start at number eight for Quins against Saints

Both sides will be without their England internationals for the match as they have already joined up with the national team for the upcoming Six Nations.

Harlequins will be without eight players including star fly-half Marcus Smith, while Saints will be denied the services of seven key individuals.

Former club captain Stephan Lewies will still lead out a Quins team that includes Jack Walker, Joe Launchbury, Will Evans, James Chisholm and Danny Care.

"It's the Premiership champions at home, we had a narrow loss to them away. Both sides will have a different look to them than they did in their European fixtures, but both sides are capable of some unbelievable rugby," Wilson added.

"Being at The Stoop's important to us because it's in front of our fans, we've got an unbelievably good group of fans – very supportive atmosphere at The Stoop, we felt that on Saturday night, it made a difference and I'm hoping on Friday night they'll do the same."