THE Dragons are set to field midfield bruise brothers by partnering Jamie Roberts with Jack Dixon in Saturday’s Guinness PRO14 clash with Glasgow.

The duo joined forces in the win against Benetton in Treviso last Sunday when Dixon was called from the bench after half an hour because of a groin injury to Adam Warren.

Warren faces a lengthy lay-off because he needs an operation and Nick Tompkins is unavailable despite missing out on the Wales squad for their Autumn Nations Cup finale against Italy.

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With Tom Griffiths also on the comeback trail from a serious knee injury suffered last February, that leaves the region with a lack of 13s.

Director of rugby Dean Ryan has previously said he could experiment with Wales wing/full-back Jonah Holmes at outside centre but at Scotstoun (kick-off 7.15pm) it’s set to be hard-carrying Dixon.

The 25-year-old from Newbridge is a 12 with similar attributes to former Lions powerhouse Roberts but did well in Treviso, coming up with some timely defensive steals.

Roberts is listed as 6ft 3ins and 17st 4lbs while Dixon is 6ft 2ins and tips the scales at 16st 7lb. Both have a direct, physical approach.

South Wales Argus: PHYSICAL: Jack Dixon carrying hard in TrevisoPHYSICAL: Jack Dixon carrying hard in Treviso

Ryan said: "They looked solid - it's a reasonably big midfield with Jack and Jamie! It does give us big men on the front line.

"Jack did a really good job, defensively he looked really solid after an early error that sharpened him up and made him realise that he needed to be a bit wider (at 13).

"I was really pleased for Jack that we could get him playing and he is quite comfortable at going in at 13. It's not a case of needs must for Glasgow, Jack warrants selection."

Dixon will be one of three enforced changes for the clash with the Warriors with tighthead Aaron Jarvis likely to get the nod as replacement for Lloyd Fairbrother (head) and dynamic back rower Taine Basham coming in for abrasive flanker Ben Fry (torn bicep).

The Dragons train on an artificial surface in Ystrad Mynach and will tinker with their matchday 23 for the challenges of the 3G pitch at Scotstoun Stadium.

South Wales Argus: LIVELY: Taine Basham is poised to start in GlasgowLIVELY: Taine Basham is poised to start in Glasgow

“We will make a couple of changes because it’s a plastic pitch, we’ve got to look at what our strengths will be in that situation,” said Ryan.

“Those changes are about building the squad and also knowing that we can add different things to a game because of the nature of the surface.

“A plastic pitch tends to be a bit faster, certainly the ruck speed, and that presents challenges for some people.”

Glasgow have endured a tough start to the season in the absence of their Scotland internationals.

However, the Warriors welcome the team from Rodney Parade fresh from a 19-10 win at Rodney Parade against Cardiff Blues.

Boss Danny Wilson had an eye for detail when forwards coach at the Dragons and Ryan knows their hosts will be well-drilled.

“It was a really controlled performance by us at Benetton and we had to adapt to injuries early on,” he said.

“Our ability to make amendments on the field is getting better and we will have to do that again this week.

“We are playing a side who are very challenging around phase play, quite innovative around how they start the game and who want to play at a fast pace on a plastic pitch.

“This will be a different challenge and we have to work out how we can influence and control elements to win again.”