Scotland will be looking to get back to winning ways this weekend as they head to Rome to take on Italy in the fourth round of the 2022 Six Nations.
Gregor Townsend's side have had a torrid time since their stunning victory over England on the opening weekend, falling to defeat against Wales and France in the following rounds.
However, they will fancy their chances against Italy, who remain winless in this campaign and find themselves bottom of the championship table.
The visitors will be without powerful wing Duhan van der Merwe, who will miss the remainder of the Six Nations through suspension after getting sent off for Worcester against London Irish, but are boosted by the return of Matt Fagerson and Hamish Watson.
Here's everything you need to know about Saturday's match:
What time is Italy v Scotland kick-off?
Italy v Scotland kicks off at 2.15pm UK time/3.15pm local time on Saturday, March 12, at Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
What TV channel is Italy v Scotland on? What about live streaming?
Italy v Scotland is being broadcast live on ITV1, with coverage starting at 1.30pm. Fans can also live stream the game via the ITV Hub.
What's the Italy v Scotland team news?
Italy boss Kieran Crowley has made two changes to his side after a disastrous outing in Dublin a fortnight ago, in which the Azzurri ended the game with 13 players and lost 57-6.
Stephen Varney has been replaced at scrum-half by Callum Braley while Giacomo Nicotera is included in the front row in place of Gianmarco Lucchesi, who is ruled out through injury.
As for the visitors, Kyle Steyn will make his first Six Nations start for Scotland as one of five changes to the the Scots' starting XV. The Glasgow winger's only previous appearance in the tournament was in 2020 when he came off the bench against France. Steyn enjoyed a stunning first start for Scotland when he scored four tries against Tonga in October and he will now get another chance to make an impact in the inaugural Cuttitta Cup match at Stadio Olimpico.
Matt Fagerson returns from injury to start at No. 8, while Hamish Watson is also named in the starting line-up having missed the last match against France through coronavirus. Centre Sam Johnson and front-rower George Turner are the others added to the team.
The five players to drop out are Stuart McInally, Magnus Bradbury, Sione Tuipulotu, Nick Haining and the suspended Duhan van der Merwe.
Among the replacements, Edinburgh scrum-half Ben Vellacott is in line to make his debut, while Gloucester scrum-half Adam Hastings could make his first appearance of the tournament from the bench after being a surprise omission from Gregor Townsend's squad for the three previous matches.
Ali Price will win his 50th cap at scrum-half as the Scots bid to reignite their campaign following back-to-back defeats away to Wales and at home to France.
Italy: 15. Edoardo Padovani; 14. Pierre Bruno, 13. Juan Ignacio Brex, 12. Leonardo Marin, 11. Montanna Ioane; 10. Paolo Garbisi, 9. Callum Braley; 1. Danilo Fischetti, 2. Giacomo Nicotera, 3. Pietro Ceccarelli, 4. Niccolo Cannone, 5. Federico Ruzza, 6. Giovanni Pettinelli, 7. Michele Lamaro (capt), 8. Toa Halafihi.
Replacements: 16. Luca Bigi, 17. Ivan Nemer, 18. Giosue Zilocchi, 19. David Sisi, 20. Manuel Zuliani, 21. Alessandro Fusco, 22. Marco Zanon, 23. Ange Capuozzo.
Scotland : 15. Stuart Hogg (capt); 14. Darcy Graham, 13. Chris Harris, 12. Sam Johnson, 11. Kyle Steyn; 10. Finn Russell, 9. Ali Price; 1. Pierre Schoeman, 2. George Turner, 3. Zander Fagerson, 4. Sam Skinner, 5. Grant Gilchrist, 6. Rory Darge, 7. Hamish Watson, 8. Matt Fagerson.
Replacements : 16. Stuart McInally, 17. Allan Dell, 18. WP Nel, 19. Jamie Hodgson, 20. Magnus Bradbury, 21. Ben Vellacott, 22. Adam Hastings, 23 Sione Tuipulotu.
Who is the Italy v Scotland referee?
Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU)
Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (IRFU) and Craig Evans (WRU)
TMO: Stuart Terheege (RFU)
What have the coaches said?
Italy head coach Kieran Crowley: "We face a team that has shown its worth in previous outings of the tournament. We have the opportunity to play in front of our fans: we want to turn the page and react on the pitch with an important performance.”
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend: "The tournament has not gone as we hoped or planned so far, that's for sure. We've suffered two defeats which are disappointing. We feel if we get our performance right, we're a match for any team in the world. We know that going away against a full crowd is going to be another test of who we are and that's what we aim to show this weekend."
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