EXETER head coach Rob Baxter insists the Chiefs' dismal record against Bath will not be on his players' minds when the teams do battle in the Aviva Premiership on Saturday.

Exeter could climb above Bath into second with a victory at Sandy Park but will need to buck a worrying trend that has seen them fail to win in nine league matches against their opponents.

Bath have won eight and drawn one of those encounters but Baxter insists his side, currently fourth, have the form and belief to turn the tide this weekend.

"I don't think it plays on the players' minds because we may not have beaten them in the league but, if you go through game-by-game against them, we have performed in a lot of those," Baxter told Exeter's official club website.

"We're aware we've not beat them in the Premiership but we have beaten them twice in the LV= Cup, one of which was a semi-final.

"Looking at our development over the years, that win was probably more important than some of the close losses we have experienced.

"Yes, it would be great to win at the weekend - not just because it's Bath - but because we are at home, our home form is good and, most importantly, it's vital league points we would have collected against one of our rivals at the top of the table."

Both teams are missing players selected for England's Six Nations game against Ireland on Sunday.

Exeter are without winger Jack Nowell but Bath are worse affected, with the likes of George Ford, Jonathan Joseph and Dave Attwood all involved in Dublin.

Mike Ford's side are clinging on to second place in the table after consecutive defeats to fellow title hopefuls Saracens and Northampton.

"We understand that the best chance to qualify for the (Premiership) final is to stay second," Ford told Bath's official website.

"We've got seven games left - two more Premiership games then the cavalry arrives I think, from England, and we'll have a couple more back from injury.

"So we'll lick our wounds and look to come back better. I don't think it's over but Northampton will take some catching because they'll have to lose at least two for us to be level with them."