Itoje and George in for Sarries as Quins rest Smith

Premiership: Saracens v Harlequins

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London Date: Saturday, 22 March Kick-off: 15:05 GMT

Coverage: Live on BBC Radio London and score updates on the BBC Sport website and app

England's Maro Itoje and Jamie George will start for Saracens in the London derby against Harlequins this weekend, with Marcus Smith, Chandler Cunningham-South and Fin Baxter all rested for Quins.

The rivals meet at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday in their first Premiership match back after the Six Nations.

Both teams are in need of victory in their race for a top-four finish, and are currently separated by two points with Sarries fifth and Quins one place below.

Fresh off England's second-placed finish in the Six Nations, club captain Itoje goes into the second row alongside former Quins player Hugh Tizard, while George starts at hooker between Eroni Mawi and Italy prop Marco Riccioni.

Tom Willis returns at number eight after playing in all five of the Red Rose's matches, with Elliot Daly at full-back.

Hooker Theo Dan is on the bench, while Ben Earl is rested entirely.

Nick Tompkins, who played three times for Wales during the tournament, starts at centre, while Scotland international Andy Onyeama-Christie returns to the bench for the first time in the Premiership since suffering a serious ankle injury in the reverse fixture in October.

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall confirmed this week the club's returning internationals would all have a period of rest over the next three weeks.

Harlequins go into the game having ended a run of eight straight defeats against their cross-city rivals, which stretched 1,723 days, when they met at The Stoop earlier this season.

This time they face off at the 62,850-seater Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Saracens' annual 'Showdown' fixture.

Prop Baxter, back-row Cunningham-South and star fly-half Smith will all miss the contest through mandatory rest.

Wyn Jones and Titi Lamositele start either side of Jack Walker in the front row, with the experienced duo of Joe Launchbury and South African Stephan Lewies behind.

Captain Alex Dombrandt starts at the base of the pack with Jack Kenningham and Will Evans as the flankers.

Danny Care misses out with a foot injury so Will Porter and Jarrod Evans are in as the half-backs, with Oscar Beard and Ben Waghorn the centres.

Nick David, Rodrigo Isgro and Leigh Halfpenny make up the backfield.

Saracens: Daly; Elliott, Lozowski, Tompkins, Segun; Burke, Van Zyl; Mawi, George, Riccioni, Itoje, Tizard, McFarland, Gonzalez, Willis.

Replacements: Dan, Brantingham, Clarey, Isiekwe, Onyeama-Christie, Michelow, Simpson, Goode.

Harlequins: Halfpenny; Isgro, Beard, Waghorn, David; J Evans, Porter; Jones, Walker, Lamositele, Launchbury, Lewies, Kenningham, W Evans, Dombrandt.

Replacements: Riley, Els, Hobson, Herbst, Hammond, Murray, Benson, Green.