Chris Paterson backs former side Edinburgh to shock Bath

Chris Paterson is tipping his former side Edinburgh to edge past Bath Rugby’s star-studded outfit this weekend and book a place in the EPCR Challenge Cup final.

Sean Everitt’s outfit host the Gallagher Premiership leaders in Saturday’s semi-final (live on Premier Sports 2 from 2.30pm) after enjoying a pair of home knockout stage victories over South African sides Lions and Bulls in the competition to date.

Bath powered past fellow English side Gloucester Rugby 61-26 in the last eight after dispatching Pau 49-24 in the previous round.

But Paterson believes his former club have what it takes to win if they focus on their own strengths rather than worrying about the opposition in a match being shown exclusively live on Premier Sports.

“It will be an exciting game,” he said. “Edinburgh can take confidence from the run they have had with the South African sides.

“Edinburgh’s attack has really improved in the second half of the season and some of the attack that we saw at the start against the Lions and the Bulls was excellent.

“They must look to replicate that, rather than going in with the mindset of stopping Bath, who are going to score.

“Bath have an amazing attack, but if you look at the six games they have played in Europe, they have conceded over 20 points in every game, so that will be where Edinburgh's minds will be at.”

“I think it will be 25-24 to Edinburgh, avoiding extra time!”

The hosts go into the contest at Hive Stadium as the underdogs but have already gone further in the competition than they did last year, when they departed at the quarter-final stage.

Paterson is part of the Premier Sports team bringing every minute of live action and all the analysis for the four box office EPCR semi-finals this weekend and the former Scotland star thinks Edinburgh will thrive on the home atmosphere.

“They will enjoy the occasion,” he continued.

“For those who they have beaten at Hive Stadium, there has been a real atmosphere about it and during the last two or three weeks, it has been sold out.

“There will be a real enjoyment factor, and I think they will enjoy the challenge of beating the in-form team in England. That brings an added edge and that is when Edinburgh are usually very good.”

On the domestic front, Edinburgh sit two points and two places outside of the URC quarter-final spots with two rounds of fixtures left to go.

With a top eight finish also meaning Investec Champions Cup rugby next year, Paterson knows a statement win over Bath would help their cause in the league, the conclusion to which will also be shown on Premier Sports.

“A win over Bath would be a big boost,” he added.

“Since around the end of the Six Nations, Edinburgh have been forced to treat almost every game as if it were a knockout game.

“They have got into the routine that all their games are pretty much must-win, and not only will they want to make a statement, but they will also want to reward their fans.

“So, with two big games coming up, against Connacht away and then Ulster at home, a win against one of the best teams in the UK will help them a lot ahead of next week and beyond.”

Premier Sports is the home of Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup with 80 games live throughout the competition including this weekend's semi-finals and both Finals on 23 and 24 May live from Principality Stadium, Cardiff. Visit: www.premiersports.com to sign-up for all the action from URC, Top 14, MLR, Japan League One and EPCR rugby at just £11.99 per month.