WORCESTER Warriors have been boosted by the return of Chris Horsman and Thinus Delport ahead of tonight's Premiership battle with basement side Leeds Tykes at Sixways (8pm).

Delport has missed the last four games with a quad muscle strain but starts on the wing. Prop Horsman returns after twisting his ankle last month.

Kai Horstmann is moved to blind-side after starring in the last three matches at number eight. That means Siaosi Vaili drops to the bench with Drew Hickey and Pat Sanderson returning to the back row.

Worcester director of rugby John Brain has warned his team that Leeds' position in the table counts for nothing.

"Leeds are desperate for a win and sides that are desperate are always dangerous," he said.

"Every Guinness Premiership game is massive. We've had a disappointing couple of weeks and we will be looking to get back to winning ways."

Worcester lost in the last round of the Premiership against Wasps and followed that with back-to-back defeats in the Powergen Cup.

"The Guinness Premiership always focuses the players," said Brain. "They put a lot into those first four matches. I think they have re-charged their batteries and they have trained pretty well this week.

"This is an opportunity to consolidate our position in the league."

Brain believes that Leicester, Sale and Wasps are in a league of their own and the other teams have it all to play for.

He said: "With the other nine teams, anyone can beat anyone else on their day. Leeds may be bottom but they have shown their fighting qualities in the past. It's early in the season and a win could kick-start them."

Skipper Sanderson agrees that Leeds are capable of causing problems.

He said: "They have proved in the last three or four years what sort of team spirit they have got. They never roll over and they never know when they are beaten.

"I think they are a team to be feared. They've got some good players in there and when their backs are against the wall they are an extraordinarily dangerous side.

"In the last four or five games of last year, they were practically dead and buried and they pulled themselves out of the fire. They weren't scraping wins. They were playing very well."

Warriors: Le Roux, Hylton, Hinshelwood, Lombard, Delport, Drahm, Gomarsall, Windo, Fortey, Horsman, Murphy, Gillies, Horstmann, Sanderson, Hickey. Replacements: Taumoepeau, Keylock, Collier, Vaili, Powell, Brown, Trueman.