Horacio Agulla could make his first Aviva Premiership start for Bath after being released back to the club by Argentina.
The Pumas play Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, but Agulla – a mainstay of the Argentina back-line in recent seasons – is free to play for Bath in tomorrow night's showdown with reigning champions Harlequins at The Rec.
The return of 42-cap Agulla to Bath, coupled with a strong display by Olly Woodburn in last week's LV= Cup loss to Quins at The Stoop, has posed a selection conundrum for the Bath coaching team, who have relied on Tom Biggs and Kyle Eastmond out wide so far in the current Aviva Premiership campaign.
A full complement of fit second-rowers – captain Stuart Hooper, Dave Attwood, Dom Day and Ryan Caldwell – has also concentrated the coaches' minds, while a tussle is taking place for the number two jersey, with Brett Sharman – who is at Bath on a short-term deal as injury cover for Rob Webber – turning up the heat on Lee Mears.
First-team coach Mike Ford said of the selection headaches facing him and the rest of Gary Gold's coaching team: "There will be some tough selections at lock because they are all fit and playing well.
"At hooker, Brett Sharman and Lee Mears are fighting it out – they are having a good contest.
"Olly Woodburn gained some credits last Friday and Horacio is back from Argentina, so we have options on the wing."
The face injury suffered by Dan Hipkiss in the LV= Cup win over Dragons two weeks ago has been confirmed as a fractured cheekbone, potentially opening the door for new recruit Semesa Rokoduguni.
Bath won half of their opening eight Premiership matches and now face a daunting run of league games up to the end of 2012. Following Quins at home, they will play Leicester at Welford Road, Saracens at The Rec, and then travel to Exeter.
With 244 points, Quins are by some distance the league's most free-scoring side, although Bath prevented them from crossing the tryline in Friday's clash in London.
That match will give Bath an inkling of what to expect tomorrow, but Ford believes there will be some bluffing and second-guessing taking place.
"Of course you can learn lessons from every game, but did they keep something back last Friday?" said Ford. "We've got to double-guess their coaching team a bit. There will be greater intensity about this Friday's match because it's a Premiership game – there is more at stake.
"Quins may have some players away with England, but they have still got a host of international stars. They could have Ugo Monye back and they have Nick Evans and Jordan Turner-Hall."
Meanwhile, Bath are continuing to run the rule over Rugby League player Luke Adamson, who remains on loan from Salford Reds.
Ford, himself a former international in the 13-man code, said: "Luke is prepared to keep fighting in training and is very professional. He is not just another body – he is applying pressure.
"For the moment, we will keep on monitoring him. We are constantly talking to him. We will see what unfolds over the next few weeks. If he hangs in there, you don't know what might happen."
