ENGLAND centre Ben Te’o looks set to return from injury for Worcester Warriors’ European Challenge Cup clash with Russian minnows Enisei-STM at Sixways on Saturday (2pm).

The 29-year-old has not featured for Warriors since picking up an ankle problem earlier this month in their 24-17 Aviva Premiership victory over Harlequins.

The Auckland-born ex-Leinster ace has scored three tries in just six Premiership matches for Worcester and is expected to be named in England’s squad for the Six Nations on Friday.

Te’o won three Test caps with England in the autumn internationals after travelling with the squad during last summer to Australia.

The outspoken star caused a stir in December after revealing his “frustrations” in a national report at where second-from-bottom Warriors find themselves in the league.

Head coach Carl Hogg admitted Warriors needed Te’o to be “playing more often” for them as they battle to save their Premiership status.

“Ben is a quality player and we need him to be playing more often for us,” said Hogg.

“He’s had one or two niggling injuries and concussion as well.

“We’re just looking forward to getting Ben out there at the weekend and he’s usually influential for us when he plays.

“We have had some mitigating circumstances with a long list of injuries but we find ourselves where we are and now we have to bounce back.”

Warriors’ hopes of progressing from Pool Three to the knockout stages of Europe were extinguished last Saturday when they slipped to a cruel 17-14 defeat at French Top 14 outfit Brive.

Replacement Gaetan Germain’s last-play penalty gave table-topping Brive a narrow victory over a Warriors side who led 7-0 and 14-7.

Now Warriors will look to wind up their European campaign on a high note and avenge a 19-12 defeat they suffered against Enisei in October at Moscow’s Slava Stadium.

“We have to build some confidence and momentum,” said Hogg.

“We have a number of senior players coming back and if we get them regularly on to the field week-in week-out then we can build consistency and confidence and start getting the performances that follow.”

Hogg was delighted with the “huge effort” and “phenomenal” work ethic from his squad in last weekend’s defeat but was “disappointed” they didn’t get a positive result.

“It was a huge effort and the energy within the group was outstanding and the work ethic throughout the 80 minutes was phenomenal,” he said.

“I was disappointed the players did not get their reward. To get a penalty against you in the last play of the game and to kick that from 45 metres was frustrating.

“We had put ourselves in a position where we had possession in the last two or three minutes and we needed to stay tight and compact to see it out.

“But if you looked at the performance there were some very good parts in there and some stand-out individual and team performances from the group.”