The fixture schedule has landed Philippe Saint-Andre's men with a demanding set of games over the next three weeks with matches against champions Wasps, Worcester and league leaders London Irish following hard on the heels of their trip to the south west.
And according to their departing director of rugby, how Sale shape up over the next month may determine their long-term hopes of making the end-of-season play-offs.
"The next four weeks in the Guinness Premiership are vital and very important for us," said Saint-Andre, who will leave Edgeley Park next May after five years' sterling service.
"After our trip to Bath tomorrow we then play Wasps at home on Boxing Day, Worcester away and then London Irish at home.
"These four games are very important and we need to take a lot of points from them if we want to achieve our aim of finishing in the top four."
Ahead of what will be a demanding trip to the Rec, Sale will wait on fitness tests over Welsh prop Eifion Roberts, who damaged his shoulder in last weekend's Heineken Cup defeat at Montauban, and flanker Luke Abraham, who suffered a recurrence of a thumb injury.
"We're hoping that Eifion will make it but it may be that we have to wait until the Wasps game for him to recover," Saint-Andre added.
Claims
Meanwhile, the Sale chief was coy on claims that he could link-up with French forward Sebastien Chabal for a third time when the pair leave Edgeley Park at the end of the season.
Saint-Andre brought Seabass over to England from Bourgoin in 2004 and Chabal - who is also returning to France for domestic reasons - hinted last weekend that he would be keen to work with him again.
"I have a few offers to weigh up but I'm also waiting to see what Philippe does as he is also heading back to France," Chabal revealed.
Both Saint-Andre and Chabal have been linked with big-spending Toulon, who have money to burn, but the Sale boss insisted as yet he hadn't made any plans for the future.
"I have coached Sebastien for seven years and I know him very well so it's quite nice that he has said this," Saint-Andre said.
"But I am not married to him - I have a wife already! It's quite nice that he said this and I think he appreciates the work I have done with him."
SALE'S Edgeley Park ground has been chosen to host England Saxons' first game of their 2009 campaign at home to Portugal on January 30 (8pm).
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