Will Addison
Former Sale back on BBC Radio Manchester

A frustrating couple of turnovers for Sale. One in the set-piece in the line-out and then the second from that penalty.

So hopefully we can eradicate those early errors.

Leicester win a penalty advantage for offside, and after they failed to breach the Sharks line, referee Matthew Carley brings the play back.

Handre Pollard grabs a tee and launches a fine kick from the right side, well outside the 22, inside the near post to put the Tigers ahead.

Tom Varndell
Former England and Leicester wing on BBC Radio Leicester

Sale's aerial game is really good. You've got Tom Roebuck who gets up for the ball so, so well and I think they see that as an attacking weapon for them to try and turn the Tigers defence.

Handre Pollard launches a mighty clearance kick from deep in his own 22 and the Tigers win the line-out to launch a quick attack down the right, only for Joseph Woodward's attempt to kick ahead to cross the whitewash on the full. Let-off for the Sharks.

BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

Don't forget you have a choice of radio commentaries to tune in to at the top of the page - BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra are in the East Midlands, as are the local crews from BBC Radio Leicester and BBC Radio Manchester.

Image source, Rex Features

Ollie Hassell-Collins is barged into touch after catching the towering kick-off and Sale spread the ball from right to left after winning the line-out, but it's a solid defensive set from the Tigers who eventually force a handling error to end the early probing from the visitors.

Chris Ashton
Ex-England, Leicester and Sale wing on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Leicester have really got to keep the fans on side early. They don't want to give Sale an easy in, it just takes the edge out of the crowd.

Matthew Carley is the man in the middle and gives George Ford the nod to get us under way...

Buckle up...

A guard of honour welcomes the players onto the field at Mattioli Woods Welford Road... and past the Premiership trophy.

This one looks set to be a humdinger, and it's not far away now...

Chris Jones
BBC rugby union correspondent on Radio 5 Sports Extra

It's a beautiful blue sky here at Welford Road and it's pretty much set fair for what is, every way you look at it, a mouth-watering clash.

An hour ago it looked like it was going to storm - if it was, it's gone and Welford Road, as ever, looks a picture.

Image source, BBC/Getty Images

Sale have England duo Tom Roebuck and Tom Curry both available after injury forced them to miss the final game of the regular season as Sharks beat Exeter to clinch their semi-final spot.

They are the only changes made by director of rugby Alex Sanderson as he tries to steer Sale to a second Premiership final in three years.

Roebuck, one of four Sharks players named in the Premiership team of the season alongside Ben Curry, fly-half George Ford and centre Rob du Preez, has recovered from a calf issue and comes in on the right wing for Tom O'Flaherty.

Scotland winger Arron Reed starts on the left and Joe Carpenter at full-back completes the back three.

Flanker Tom Curry is restored at blind-side with brother Ben on the opposite side and Jean-Luc du Preez at number eight.

They will operate behind an all-England front row where props Bevan Rodd and Asher Opoku-Fordjour start either side of hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie.

Player-of-the-year nominee Ford partners England scrum-half Raffi Quirke for the second week in a row with Rekeiti Ma'asi-White and ex-Springbok Rob du Preez, who played every minute of every Premiership game this season, in the centres.

Sale: Carpenter, Roebuck, Robert du Preez, Ma'asi-White, Reed, Ford, Quirke; Rodd, Cowan-Dickie, Opoku-Fordjour, Van Rhyn, Hill, Tom Curry, Ben Curry, Jean-Luc du Preez.

Replacements: McElroy, McIntyre, John, Bamber, Dan du Preez, Warr, James, O'Flaherty.

Danny Care
Former England scrum-half on TNT Sports

Dan Cole and Ben Youngs have been here more than 15 years, Julian Montoya's old man has come over from Argentina to watch his first Leicester game, throw in Handre Pollard [also leaving this summer] to that as well.

There's some special players leaving this place - and they want one more game.

Ben Youngs and Dan Cole will start their final Leicester Tigers match at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on the bench.

The former England duo, who both won well over 100 international caps and will retire at the end of the season, are among Leicester's replacements.

Tigers head coach Michael Cheika has made three changes from the side which beat Newcastle Falcons 42-20 last weekend.

Youngs - looking to bow out with a sixth Premiership title with Tigers - and Cole, chasing a fifth crown, are replaced in the starting line-up by Jack van Poortvliet and Joe Heyes, while Adam Radwan will play on the wing in place of Josh Bassett.

Outgoing Tigers boss Cheika brings fit-again Australian centre Izaia Perese back among the replacements as former England international Mike Brown drops out of the matchday squad.

That could spell the end of Brown's professional career as he is also retiring at the end of the season.

The match will also feature Leicester skipper Julian Montoya leading out the side for the final time at home ahead of his summer move to Pau.

Leicester: Steward, Radwan, Kata, Woodward, Hassell-Collins, Pollard, Van Poortvliet; Smith, Montoya, Hayes, Henderson, Chessum, Liebenberg, Reffell, Cracknell.

Replacements: Clare, Cronin, Cole, Rogerson, Ilione, Youngs, Volavola, Perese.

Image source, PA Media

Delivering a 12th Premiership title to Leicester Tigers is all Australian head coach Michael Cheika is focused on in his solitary season at the helm at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

When asked about "achieving their target" of securing a home semi-final against Sale after cruising to a 42-20 victory against bottom side Newcastle last weekend, the 58-year-old told BBC Radio Leicester: "I hadn't targeted anything except winning the comp - you don't come into the comp without targeting to win it."

Second in the table is the highest Tigers have finished since they topped the ladder on the way to lifting their most recent title in 2022 under Steve Borthwick.

They went on to reach the play-offs in third place the following season under Richard Wigglesworth, who took interim charge following Borthwick's departure for the England job midway through their title defence.

In that campaign they lost their semi-final 21-13 at Sale, whom they now host at the same stage of the competition two years later.

Home advantage in the play-offs has proved crucial in the competition over the years, with Harlequins being the only side in the past nine seasons to win a semi-final on the road when they stunned Bristol on their way to the 2020-21 crown.

Image source, Rex Features

The Premiership semi-finals are pitting some of the world's greatest fly-halves against each other, with Scotland's Finn Russell eventually getting the better of the USA's AJ MacGinty at The Rec last night.

Now, 99-cap Englishman George Ford and South Africa's double World Cup winner Handre Pollard do battle this afternoon.

Sale chief Alex Sanderson told BBC Sport: "I've worked with AJ, I've heard what Finn Russell is like and I've seen Handre work in South Africa camp. These guys are all but coaches, wearing a rugby shirt.

"And at this time of the year, they take more and more ownership. Those are the great players. Fordy is one of them. He is going to be a great coach, but has years left on the field."

Tigers boss Michael Cheika agrees. "Ford should be on the Lions tour," he said. "That guy is high quality. He is a coach walking around in a playing jersey."

Only one question on everyone's lips today - who will prevail in this intriguing semi-final clash?

Where do you think the game will be won or lost, and can either of these sides stop Bath in the final at Twickenham next Saturday?

Let us know your thoughts via the usual channels above and we'll publish the best ones right here throughout the afternoon.

BBC Local Radio

We already know your eyes are in for a treat this afternoon just by being on this page, but your ears can get in on the act too...

We have full commentary of this semi-final from both BBC Radio Leicester and BBC Radio Manchester, as well as BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra - just take your pick from the 'watch and listen' tab at the top of this page and soak up the action from Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

Image source, Rex Features

On their way to a second-placed finish in the Premiership table, Leicester beat Sale at Welford Road last month, but the Sharks, 10 points up with half an hour to go, were left ruing indiscipline that let the hosts back into that game.

"There has been a lot of talk about us not being an 80-minutes team," said Sharks centre Rekeiti Ma'asi-White.

"We let them in the game in that second half so there is a big emphasis on discipline going into this weekend and to try and minimise that penalty count and use the scrum and line-out to give us that advantage across the full game."

If they do, a Premiership final awaits for Sale, at the expense of the club the 22-year-old used to follow.

"I was a big fan of Manu Tuilagi," he says. "I only supported Leicester because of Manu really. He has the same kind of background - he is of Samoan descent, I am half-Tongan, half-English.

"I aspired to be like him and achieve what he did. I was in the forwards at that age. Thankfully I progressed!"

Austin Healey
Former England scrum-half on TNT Sports

It's a big occasion, a big day and the players will recognise that.

It's so evenly balanced, toss of a coin - but I think it's going to be decided by who keeps their players on the field because it's going to be physical.

Chris Jones
BBC rugby union correspondent

Image source, Rex Features

English rugby's top coaches have said they are determined to revel in the pressure of leading their sides into do-or-die Premiership semi-finals this weekend.

In a special Rugby Union Weekly podcast, we were joined exclusively by all four of the men plotting to lead their team to Premiership glory, just days before the biggest game of their season.

"If you're not enjoying it, what's the point?" said Leicester boss Michael Cheika. "When the heat is on, that's the time to go: 'how good?' You would rather be here than not, so just get after it."

After 18 rounds of the regular campaign, two sides will emerge from this weekend to reach the final on 14 June at a sold-out Twickenham, with Bath already there after last night's comeback win over Bristol.

"Semi-final is not enough," says Sale's Alex Sanderson, who has guided the club to three successive semi-finals without landing the big prize.

"That's no disrespect to Leicester - I respect a lot of what Michael is doing - and our game model is pretty similar.

"But there are only so many times you can knock on the door, and at some point you have to try and kick it off its hinges. The team, the group - we just want more.

"Sometimes because of the length of the season, you may be looking forward to having a couple of weeks on a beach. This isn't one of those times. I don't want this ride to stop."