George Skivington: Gloucester have earned right to be third in Premiership

Skivington said the squad “definitely” think they can get better this season and said they worked on other areas of their game during the eight-week league break.

“We’re aware of our strengths and our weaknesses,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure that we keep the balance of the game but keep pushing on.”

Skivington is fully aware that the trip to the Recreation Ground will be “a massive test” for Gloucester.

At the reverse fixture in October, Gloucester led at the break but Bath scored six second-half tries to blow the Cherry and Whites away.

“That Bath game was a huge learning for us,” added Skivington. “We put ourselves in a really good position then we handed over some really simple tries to them.

“I think we really understand where we have to be good to win those games, whereas I think back then we knew we were good if we were moving the ball but we certainly didn’t fully respect the rest of the stuff that we have to be good at.”

While prop Afolabi Fasogbon has recovered from an ankle injury, they will be without Arthur Clarke, who broke a bone in his foot after being called up to England’s Six Nations training squad, while fellow lock Matias Alemanno remains on the sidelines for a “good while” with a shoulder injury, Skivington said.

Back row Albert Tuisue is also unavailable because of the broken arm he sustained during February’s Premiership Cup draw against Hartpury.