WORCESTER Warriors welcome back Wales winger Josh Adams and captain GJ van Velze for their Gallagher Premiership derby at Gloucester on Saturday (3pm).

But Warriors are without scrum-half Francois Hougaard and openside flanker Sam Lewis due to injuries.

Adams returns after impressing for Wales in their autumn internationals against Australia and South Africa.

Number eight van Velze missed last Friday’s 20-13 victory over Harlequins at Sixways due to injury but he has regained fitness and will take his place in the middle of the back row at Kingsholm.

Michael Heaney, a summer signing from Doncaster Knights, will make his first Premiership start in Hougaard’s absence with Matti Williams, who started at Bath two weeks ago, returning to the back row in place of Lewis.

Tighthead prop Gareth Milasinovich will reach the landmark of 50 career appearances for Warriors if he comes off the bench.

Gloucester make four changes with Owen Williams starting his first Premiership game of the season as he partners Billy Twelvetrees in the midfield.

Up front, Josh Hohneck and James Hanson come into the front row at loosehead and hooker respectively while Jaco Kriel returns at openside flanker.

Second row Franco Mostert is on the bench after completing his international duties with South Africa.

Head coach Johan Ackermann said: “Worcester is going to be a massive challenge. They’re a quality side and are well coached and going to test us on all fronts.

“They’re defensively very strong, they have big forwards and quite an explosive back-line — they’ll be a big challenge.

"Whilst I feel we’ve made Kingsholm a tough place to come to in the past 12 or 14 months, we didn’t play our best game here last season against them.

“That was a big fight and we expect nothing less this weekend.

"They haven’t been beaten badly in any game because of the quality of their team and the fight that they put up.

"They will have taken confidence from their result last weekend and travel won’t be a factor. It’ll be tough.”

Warriors: Pennell; Heem, Venter, Mills, Adams; Weir, Heaney; Black, Singleton, Schonert, Bresler, Phillips, Hill, Williams, van Velze. Replacements: Annett, Waller, Milasinovich, Barry, Cox, Arr, Shillcock, Olivier.

Gloucester: Woodward; Sharples, Twelvetrees, Williams, Thorley; Cipriani, Heinz; Hohneck, Hanson, Balmain, Savage, Slater, Clarke, Kriel, Morgan. Replacements: Visagie, Rapava Ruskin, Knight, Mostert, Polledri, Braley, Trinder, Hudson.