Wasps, who are attempting to emulate Leicester's feat at the turn of the decade in winning a third successive Premiership title, have every reason to be wary of Sale, their opponent's in this afternoon's championship play-off at the Causeway Stadium, with a date at Twickenham against the Tigers a week today awaiting the victors.

Sale won at Wasps in the Premiership last September having defeated Leicester on the opening day of the season. The Sharks' campaign to finish top of the table suffered when they lost players to international sides in November and during the Six Nations but they have shown that, when they are able to choose from a full squad, they are a match for anyone.

Wasps won the title in 2003 and 2004 after finishing second in the Premiership and they had to settle for the runners-up spot this year after being hammered 45-10 by Leicester at Welford Road last week. Despite that unexpectedly large reverse, they have named an unchanged side for the visit of Sale.

"We played badly at Leicester, turning over far too much ball," said Wasps' head coach Shaun Edwards. "They were more up for it than we were with Martin Johnson and Neil Back saying farewell to their supporters at Welford Road and we came second in the key collisions.

"Our training has been spot on this week and reminds me of this time last year when we were preparing for the play-off game against Northampton."

Wasps are without their Ireland flanker Johnny O'Connor, whose hand injury will keep him out of next week's final should the Wycombe-based side record their fifth victory in their last six matches against Sale.

"Johnny will not play again this season," said Edwards. "It is a blow but Tom Rees has taken his chance well."

Two of the most prolific try scorers in the Premiership will be marking each other this afternoon - Wasps' Tom Voyce and Sale's Mark Cueto, who will be team-mates on England's Churchill Cup campaign next month.

"I was pleased to finish as the top try scorer in the Premiership but Mark has had another excellent season and it should be a good match-up," said Voyce. "We are very competitive players who are both in form."

Sale scraped into the play-offs with their late victory at Harlequins last week but they were in the top three for the majority of the campaign.

"Making the play-off is a bonus for us because on the final day of the regular season, no one expected us to make the top three," said their director of rugby, Philippe Saint-André. "We know it is going to be a very difficult game because Wasps are the reigning champions, but there is a big prize at stake and we will be giving it everything."

Sale will be without their Lions prop Andrew Sheridan, who has an ankle injury, and the game should offer a contrast with Wasps' organised defence facing the challenge of arguably the best counter-attacking team in the Premiership in conditions suited to running rugby.

"We had a blow-out on the scoreboard last week but there was not anything that could not be fixed," said the Wasps' director of rugby Warren Gatland, who will be in charge of his last home match today before returning to New Zealand. "I think we need the game this weekend and, if we had gone straight into the final, we would have turned up at Twickenham a little bit short. The defeat at Leicester has given us the edge we need."