Tomorrow afternoon's clash between Salford Red Devils and Hull FC will be the first action either side has had in almost five months, with the game hosted at Emerald Headingly Stadium in Leeds. The neutral venue is being used as part of the measures that have been introduced by Betfred Super League in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Both outfits will be without players due to injury, but have each named strong 21-man squads in the hope they can make the perfect restart in the league. 

  • Team news

Salford new signing Morgan Escaré could make his debut for his new side tomorrow as Red Devils Head Coach Ian Watson named the Frenchman in his 21-man squad. Escaré recently arrived at the AJ Bell Stadium from Wigan Warriors on a three-year deal from 2021, but could take to the field for Salford tomorrow as a trialist. Gil Dudson and Krisnan Inu are still ruled out for the 10th-placed Red Devils, but Watson has selected Castleford-bound Niall Evalds, man of the match in Salford's last game before the break - an impressive comeback victory over Wigan. 

Meanwhile, Hull, who sit in eighth, will welcome back a wave of faces, as Jake Connor, Bureta Faraimo, Ratu Naulago, Mahe Fonua, Joe Cator, Andre Savelio and Manu Ma'u - who all missed Hull's last game - have been named in the squad. Tomorrow's game will be Andy Last's first as interim Head Coach of the Black and Whites, and Josh Jones' first bout against his old side since swapping the AJ Bell for the KCOM Stadium last year. The Black and Whites will be without injured duo Scott Taylor and Masi Matongo, and winger Adam Swift will also not feature due to the recent birth of his child.

  • Squads

Salford Red Devils: Evalds, Welham, Sarginson, Lolohea, Mossop, Lussick, Lannon, Pauli, McCarthy, Ikahihifo, Yates, Atkin, Flanagan, Johnson, Greenwood, Williams, Sio, Kear, Jones, Ormondroyd, Escaré.

Hull FC: Shaul, Faraimo, Tuimavave, Griffin, Connor, Sneyd, Houghton, Satae, Jones, Ma'u, Sao, Kelly, Cator, Johnstone, Fash, Lane, Bowden, Savelio, Fonua, Ellis Naulago.

  • Hear from the coaches

Reported by the Hull Daily Mail recently, Red Devils boss Watson expects nothing other than a test, but believes his side are more than ready. 

"It is Hull’s first game without a recognised head coach.

“Normally it is the week after and you usually see a big response. However, Hull have had several months of lockdown to regather themselves and should be fully fit and raring to go.

"Andy has a lot of players to choose from and we are mindful of that.

"We know have to stay alert, stay fit as we have been practising all week in training but we are more than capable as we showed prior to the lockdown.

“We expect a stern test from them this weekend and hopefully, it should be entertaining game of rugby league.”

And the Hull Daily Mail also reported that Andy Last is confident the squad he has selected will give Salford more than just a test, as he hopes to hit the ground running as interim Head Coach.

"I’m almost 100 per cent certain on the team.

"I’ve got a few final things that I need to clarify in my own mind after looking at a little bit of footage from training today.

"Scott Taylor and Masi Matongo won’t be part of it but it’s a good team and hopefully it will be able to get the job done.”