Director of rugby Richard Cockerill has added 10 players to the squad this summer since watching Tigers clinch the Aviva Premiership title in May and will include of number of them in the squad for Saturday.
Neil Briggs, Tom Bristow, Sebastian de Chaves, Jamie Gibson, Ryan Lamb, David Melé, Jérôme Schuster and Owen Williams have all been involved in the opening two pre-season games against Montpellier and Jersey, and would love a run-out on home soil this weekend.
Fellow signings Blaine Scully and Gonzalo Camacho will team up with the Tigers after international duty.
“Ulster is a dress rehearsal for us for the start of the season,” said Cockerill.
“They will be missing their Test players but they’ll have a good squad and this is a final preparation before we face Worcester Warriors in the Aviva Premiership next Sunday.
“There are still opportunities for everybody. We’ve seen the new guys already and they’ll be looking forward to the chance to play at Welford Road.
“We certainly need everyone to come together and they will all have to make a contribution during the season.
“We had a good trip to Jersey on the back of a training camp last week and Ulster will provide a stiff test.
“The stuff we’d been working on in training was good against Jersey, we kept our momentum even when we started making changes and we came through with some more time on the pitch for the squad. There are a few things to tidy up and we’ll be working on them so we can be ready for Worcester next week.”
Saturday’s match against Ulster is included in Tigers season tickets.
Match tickets for all other supporters are available now, price £20 adult seating, £10 standing, concessions available. Call in at the Tigers ticket office at Welford Road (open until 5pm Friday and from 9am Saturday), phone 0844 856 1880 to book and collect on the way into the game, or book online any time.
Ulster head coach Mark Anscombe includes eight internationals in a 27-man squad for the trip.
Second-rower Johann Muller leads the Ulstermen at Welford Road. He is joined in the pack by prop Tom Court who received a call-up to the British & Irish Lions squad in Australia, and former Northampton Saints No8 Roger Wilson.
Ireland internationals Lock Dan Tuohy, back-rower Chris Henry and wing Andrew Trimble are in the starting line-up, with international duo Declan Fitzpatrick and Paddy Jackson also in the squad.
Anscombe said: “This match is the perfect way for us to warm up for the new season. It is good to be able to call upon players like Johann Muller, Andrew Trimble, Paul Marshall Chris Henry and Tom Court for their first hit-out of the campaign.
“We will try a few things and look at combinations ahead of our game in the RaboDirect PRO12 against Newport Gwent Dragons next Friday.”
Ulster: Jared Payne, Andrew Trimble, Luke Marshall, Chris Farrell, David McIlwaine, James McKinney, Paul Marshall; Tom Court, Rob Herring, Ricky Lutton, Johann Muller (c), Dan Tuohy, Robbie Diack, Chris Henry, Roger Wilson.
Replacements: Callum Black, Niall Annett, Declan Fitzpatrick, Alan O’Connor, Conor Joyce, Lewis Stevenson, Mike McComish, Sean Doyle, Ian Porter, Paddy Jackson, Mike Allen, Ricky Andrew.
