Exeter have reached the quarter-final stage of the Heineken Champions Cup once previously, losing out to Wasps and Jimmy Gopperth with the final kick of the game at the Ricoh Arena in 2016.

They enjoyed a smooth passage into the last eight this time around, topping Pool 2 with 27 points whereas Northampton had to battle back from consecutive defeats to Leinster Rugby to secure a best runners-up spot and the No.7 seeding.

Sunday’s match from Sandy Park gets under way at 17:30 (UK and Irish time) on Sunday and is available to watch on BT Sport and beIN SPORTS.

Pool positions

Exeter Chiefs: 1st, Pool 2, 27 points

Northampton Saints: 2nd, Pool 1, 19 points

2019-20 points scorers

Exeter Chiefs: Joe Simmonds (60), Sam Simmonds (30), Four players (10)

Northampton Saints: Dan Biggar (68), Four players (10)

The Premiership play-off ⚔️

Familiar foes @ExeterChiefs and @SaintsRugby battle it out for a spot in the #HeinekenChampionsCup semi-finals to round off the weekend 🤩

But who will clinch it?? pic.twitter.com/PXRQdqCbHR

— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) September 18, 2020

Key quote

• Rob Baxter (Exeter):The biggest mistake you can make in a situation like this is to look around at a team who maybe are struggling and think the job is done, because it’s simply never that easy.  Northampton can come to our place and can throw everything at us, because everything they gain will be an advantage and everything they get, that will give them energy. 

Match facts

• Northampton have reached the quarter-finals on eight previous occasions, winning both home games but losing five of their six away games with a famous 7-6 victory against Biarritz in 2007 their only win on the road to date.
• Exeter Chiefs are unbeaten in their last six games (W5, D1), their best run in European competition since winning six in a row in the Challenge Cup in 2014/15. They’ve never gone seven games without defeat in Europe.
• Northampton won their last away game in the Heineken Champions Cup, however, they’ve not won consecutive games on the road in the competition since the 2014/15 pool stage when they beat Benetton and the Ospreys.
• Exeter scored 10 tries from first-phase possession in the pool stage, more than any other side, while Northampton have scored the third most (8, level with four clubs).
• Only Leinster (64) have conceded fewer turnovers this season than Exeter (65, level with Munster), however, the Chiefs have won the fewest turnovers of any side in the competition (25).
• Dan Biggar has averaged 13.6 points per game, the most of anyone to play more than once in the pool stage, and only Ulster’s John Cooney (71) has scored more points than Biggar (68).
• Joe Simmonds has slotted 93% (25/27) of his place kicks, the best rate of any player to attempt more than five kicks at goal this season.
• Of players to make at least three appearances in the pool stage, Taqele Naiyaravoro topped the charts for offloads (3.3) and defenders beaten (6.5, level with Virimi Vakatawa) per game.