Lions pair Tuipulotu and Aki together for Pumas

British and Irish Lions v Argentina

Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin Date: Friday, 20 June Kick-off: 20:00 BST

Coverage: Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app, and updates on BBC Radio 5 Live

Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu and Ireland's Bundee Aki will form the centre partnership for the British and Irish Lions against Argentina in Dublin on Friday night.

Glasgow's Tuipulotu, who missed the Six Nations through injury, will be playing his first international rugby since Scotland's win over Australia in November and will pair up with Aki - despite both players appearing to be more natural inside centres.

Head coach Andy Farrell is still without the majority of those who featured in domestic finals - with Leinster hooker Ronan Kelleher, who is named on the bench, the only player to feature for their club side last week who will be on show at the Aviva Stadium.

Tour captain Maro Itoje will lead the side for the first time.

There is a welcome return for Tadhg Furlong, who has played just nine times this season because of various injuries and has not featured for Leinster since their defeat by Northampton in the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals last month.

The tight-head will start on the bench, with his Ireland colleague Finlay Bealham to wear the three jersey after he replaced Scotland's Zander Fagerson in the squad when the Scotland prop was ruled out of the trip through injury.

Two Northampton Saints club-mates, Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith, will team up at nine and 10.

The touring party will depart for the southern hemisphere after the fixture, with their first game in Australia against the Western Force in Perth on 28 June.

British and Irish Lions: Smith; Freeman, Tuipulotu, Aki, Van der Merwe; Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Bealham, Itoje, Beirne, Curry, Morgan, Earl.

Replacements: Kelleher, Schoeman, Furlong, Cummings, Pollock, Williams, Daly, Hansen.