Bristol sent a rotated squad to South Africa for last weekend's 49-12 loss to the Stormers, but have selected a strong side for Saturday's derby against Exeter.
Ellis Genge is one of 13 players to come into the team to face the Chiefs, who went down 43-40 at Toulouse, with Henry Slade failing with a late kick to tie the game.
That has reflected the Chiefs' early season, as they played against 14 men for over an hour after Rodrigue Neti's dismissal. They failed to capitalise on their advantage and have also lost to Gloucester and Bath in the league, beating only Newcastle.
In September, Rob Baxter's side beat the Bears 45-21 in the Prem Rugby Cup, but Bristol have won the last four league meetings and are backed for a decent victory in Saturday's derby.
Bristol Bears v Exeter Chiefs Tips Summary
Best Bet - Exeter -8.5 @ 1/1
Alternative Bet - Harry Randall anytime tryscorer @ 6/5
Bet Builder - Bristol to win, Louis Rees-Zammit anytime tryscorer, Zack Wimbush anytime tryscorer @ 19/4
Bristol Bears v Exeter Chiefs Prediction
Best Bet - Exeter -8.5 @ 1/1
Champions Cup winners in 2020, Exeter went through some pain, releasing four British & Irish Lions in the summer of 2023 to balance the books.
However, the decision almost paid off as they reached last season's Grand Final, losing to Northampton at Twickenham.
They do not look to have evolved, though, and are falling on the wrong end of results, as they did twice against Bristol in 2025/26, losing 18-14 at Ashton Gate and 8-3 in filthy conditions at Sandy Park.
Exeter have beaten only Newcastle this season, winning by six points, the same margin they lost by at Bath, after being outplayed in their 45-24 loss to Gloucester.
Bristol beat Sale 34-24 in their first match and were excellent in their 41-26 win over Northampton.
They were understrength in the 30-7 defeat to Saracens, with head coach Pat Lam admitting that some of his players' injury profiles mean they cannot be risked on an artificial surface like the StoneX.
A rotated side travelled to South Africa and were well beaten, but Genge and others will be fresh after three weeks off.
The Bears always seem to beat Exeter in the league, and their victory over Northampton suggests their brand of running rugby may make the 7.5-point handicap redundant.
Alternative Bet - Harry Randall anytime tryscorer @ 6/5
England head coach Steve Borthwick will name his training squad for the November internationals and Bristol scrum-half Harry Randall is pushing for a place.
Randall has scored four tries in the Bears' first three games of the season, including their only score against Saracens.
The livewire number nine will probe the fringes of the ruck, while his support lines also help boost his try tally, thanks to his side's ability to break from deep.
Bristol Bears v Exeter Chiefs Bet Builder Tip
Bristol to win
Louis Rees-Zammit anytime tryscorer
Zack Wimbush anytime tryscorer
Pays 19/4
Bristol have won the last four league meetings and with the Best Bet tipping them on the handicap, the home win makes sense as a launchpad for this treble.
The Bears' jet-heeled winger Louis Rees-Zammit has scored four Prem tries this season.
After previous experiments of playing him at full-back, he looks more at home out wide and should get space on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Exeter's number 14 Zack Wimbush, who has stepped in for injured England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, scored a hat-trick against Toulouse and is taken to cross again.
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Key Match Stats
Bristol have won the last four league meetings
Exeter beat Saturday's opponents 45-21 in the Prem Rugby Cup on 12th September
The Bears have won two out of three in the league, while the Chiefs have only beaten Newcastle
Bristol scrum-half Harry Randall has scored four tries this season
Teammate Louis Rees-Zammit has also gone over on four occasions
Exeter wing Zack Wimbush scored a hat-trick in last weekend’s defeat in Toulouse
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
