Exeter welcome back four England players for their top-of-the-table clash with Bristol at Sandy Park.

England flanker Ben Earl and prop Kyle Sinckler are two of six players to come into the Bristol side.

Jake Woolmore and Bryan Byrne return to the front row after self-isolation.

Pat Lam also has Harry Randall back at scrum-half, while Luke Morahan makes his first start of the season on the wing.

Exeter were hit with some positive Covid-19 tests earlier in the week, but director of rugby Rob Baxter was confident his side would be able to play ther match.

The two sides are level on points at the top of the Premiership after Exeter lost for the first time last week in a 34-5 defeat at Wasps.

Meanwhile,. Bristol go into the match on a four-game winning streak in the league, having ended Newcastle's perfect start to the season last week.

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Sport:

"You can theoretically go full seasons without losing but there's a reality to a scenario and you don't have to be very far off to lose to teams in the Premiership, that's why the Premiership's such a good competition because it's massively competitive.

"Whether it's Bristol or anybody else, we see every team as a threat and as a challenge and we get on and prepare for that side and we aim to do the best we can on the day.

"It's a great challenge playing Bristol, I think they're one of the teams that everyone wants to watch, they're an exciting side, local derby, there's a lot of reasons for us to want to perform in the game and that's what we have to do, we have to take all the reasons there are for us to perform and lay them out on the field.

"They're one of our closest rivals in a lot of ways, they're our nearest neighbour in the Premiership, but they're also one of the teams that was up and around the top four last season and we should see them as a real rival for what we want to achieve."

Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam told BBC Radio Bristol:

"I love playing these guys because it's a tough encounter, every game I've played with them since I've been here has been a one-score fixture, it's gone right down to the wire.

"This is where we get our growth, playing a team who all last week did was make it tougher.

"I'm expecting their reinforcements to be back, their strongest team and there would have been a lot of pain at training this week.

"So it's a massive challenge for us, but one we're excited by, this is where we grow as a club as well."

Exeter: Walsh; Woodburn, Slade, Devoto, Whitten; J Simmonds (capt), Hidalgo-Clyne; Hepburn, Cowan-Dickie, Williams, Witty, Hill, Ewers, Armand, S Simmonds

Replacements: Yeandle, Kenny, Francis, Price, Skinner, Maunder, Baldwin, Short

Bristol: Piutau; Morahan, Radradra, O'Conor, Naulago; Sheedy, Randall; Woolmore, Byrne, Sinckler, Attwood, Joyce, Luatua, Earl, Hughes.

Replacements: Capon, Thomas, Afoa, Dun, Thomas, Uren, Lloyd, Leiua

Referee: Karl Dickson

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