After the Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup fixtures were announced last week, Northampton Saints and ASM Clermont Auvergne are set to clash in the opening weekend of the Challenge Cup. It promises to be another thrilling fixture as the two sides will be well-aware of the value of starting strongly in the competition and are likely to have their sights firmly fixed on producing performances that take them all the way to the final in Newcastle. ASM Clermont Auvergne have boosted their squad with utility-back Tim Nanai-Williams and wing George Moala while Northampton Saints have added back row James Haskell, fly-half Dan Biggar and wing Taqele Naiyaravoro. With less than two months before the competition gets back underway, we take a look back at their last three meetings on the European rugby stage. https://twitter.com/SaintsRugby/status/1032207931507396608 Northampton Saints 34 ASM Clermont Auvergne 21 – 2018 Northampton Saints inflicted a first Champions Cup defeat of the season on ASM Clermont Auvergne in a thrilling Pool 2 match earlier this year. The home side blew the pool wide open and as they ran in five tries thanks to back row Teimana Harrison, centre Nafi Tuitavake, full-back Ben Foden, wing Ken Pisi and scrum-half Cobus Reinach. Despite the defeat, the French outfit topped Pool 2 but were eliminated in the last eight by eventual finalists Racing 92. ASM Clermont Auvergne 24 Northampton Saints 7 – 2017 Earlier in the same season, and fresh from a narrow victory over Ospreys, ASM Clermont Auvergne made it two wins from two in the Champions Cup with a comfortable success over the Saints. Two tries from replacement scrum-half Charlie Cassang either side of half-time helped the TOP14 team cruise to victory despite the endeavour of lock Christian Day, who barged his way over for the sole Northampton try. Les Jaunards would go on to win their next two matches in convincing fashion against defending champions Saracens, before being beaten by Northampton Saints in the aforementioned match. https://twitter.com/ASMOfficiel/status/1030409523109015553 ASM Clermont Auvergne 37 Northampton Saints 5 – 2015 ASM Clermont Auvergne and Northampton Saints’ only meeting in a European knockout match came in 2015, with the French side scoring four tries in a worthy quarter-final success at Stade Marcel-Michelin. Fly-half Brock James put on a kicking clinic, converting all four tries and adding three successful penalty kicks of his own in a man of the match display. Noa Nakaitaci scored two first half tries as the home team went 27-0 up at the interval, before full-back Nick Abendanon added a fourth score. The French team would go on to defeat Saracens 13-9 in the semi-finals, before being narrowly beaten 24-18 by RC Toulon in an all-French Champions Cup final at Twickenham.