Zebre host Munster in the Exceptional location of Legnano in the 12th round of the Guinness PRO14.
The match will be played at the Giovanni Mari Stadium, the 46th different venue in the competition.
The match will start at 7.35 pm (UK time) and will be broadcast live in the UK on Premier Sports and in Ireland on Eir Sport. It will also be possible to follow the text coverage of the game on www.pro14rugby.org and on the Zebre Rugby twitter account with the official hashtag #ZEBvMUN.
The game will mark the 15th official clash between the two teams, placed in Conference A and B respectively.
Although returning from a defeat in Glagow, Zebre have only lost one of the last four home games in all competitions. Last time out, Munster earned their biggest ever win in the Guinness PRO14 (68-3 against the Southern Kings in Cork) and are firmly poised to reach the final stages of the competition, a feat they achieved last season.
This Friday evening, Zebre will try to achieve their first success against the team coached by South African Johann van Graan.
Head Coach Michael Bradley has opted for two changes in the starting XV chosen to face the Red Army.
Francois Brummer returns from long injury that kept him out of action since the 2nd round of the competition.
In the pack, Jimmy Tuivaiti will start at openside flanker. Tuivaiti is the only player released by the coaching staff of the Italian National team for the Legnano challenge. The other 11 Zebre players called up for the 3rd round of the Six Nations are still in Rome preparing the home game against Scotland.
On the bench, there are five players competing in the top Italian national championship, four with Rugby Calvisano and one with Fiamme Oro Rugby.
The latter is the permit player Matteo Nocera, former Italy U20 International. The prop, born in 1999, has already debuted with Zebre and in Guinness PRO14 in Parma on 2 March 2019 against Glasgow Warriors.
The four young guns of Rugby Calvisano are scrum half Nicolò Casilio, prop Riccardo Brugnara, Matteo Luccardi (hooker) and Paolo Pescetto (fly-falf).
Zebre Rugby Club
15. Junior Laloifi (8)
14. Paula Balekana (24)
13. Jamie Elliott (33)
12. Tommaso Boni* (Cap) (85)
11. Pierre Bruno (10)
10. Francois Brummer (24)
9. Joshua Renton (30)
8. Renato Giammarioli* (40)
7. Jimmy Tuivaiti (25)
6. Maxime Mbandà* (51)
5. Ian Nagle (11)
4. Mick Kearney (14)
3. Eduardo Bello (42)
2. Massimo Ceciliani* (24)
1. Daniele Rimepelli* (37)
Replacements:
16. Matteo Luccardi* (0)
17. Riccardo Burgnara (1)
18. Matteo Nocera* (1)
19. Leonard Krumov* (40)
20. George Biagi (118)
21. Nicolò Casilio* (3)
22. Pescetto Paolo (0)
23. Enrico Lucchin* (9)
Head Coach: Michael Bradley
Not available for selection due to injury: Michelangelo Biondelli*, Paolo Buonfiglio*, Tommaso Castello, Gabriele Di Giulio*, Marco Manfredi, Lorenzo Masselli, Alexandru Tarus, David Sisi, Charlie Walker
Six Nations duty with Italy: Luca Bigi, Giulio Bisegni, Mattia Bellini, Carlo Canna, Oliviero Fabiani, Danilo Fischetti*, Giovanni Licata*, Andrea Lovotti*, Guglielmo Palazzani, Marcello Violi*, Giosuè Zilocchi*
Ruled out: Johan Meyer
*Former member of the Italian Rugby Union academy “Ivan Francescato”
Referee: Dan Jones (Welsh Rugby Union)
Assistant Referees: Manuel Bottino (Italian Rugby Union) and Rhys Jones (Welsh Rugby Union)
TMO: Sean Brickell (Welsh Rugby Union)
Edinburgh make five changes for Connacht clash
