England flanker Lewis Moody has been named as captain, and Loffreda said: "Lewis is an experienced player, he is very committed on the pitch and he leads by example. With Ben Kay also in the team, I have a lot of confidence in their leadership on the field."
Moody is joined in the back row by Tom Croft and Brett Deacon, while Kay combines with James Hamilton in the second row. Alex Moreno is named at tighthead after injury to Martin Castrogiovanni in the defeat of Edinburgh last weekend. Mefin Davies and Marcos Ayerza complete the forward pack.
Frank Murphy and Andy Goode continue at half-back, with Tom Youngs starting for the first time this season at centre alongside England international Dan Hipkiss. Johne Murphy and Tom Varndell are named on the wings, with Sam Vesty returning to the team at full-back.
"I have watched Tom Youngs in the Development team, he goes forward, he has great strength and I think he has a strong character too," said Loffreda.
England hooker George Chuter is included in the matchday 22 for the first time this season after recovering from knee surgery at the end of the World Cup. He came through an outing in the Guinness A League on Monday and is named on the bench at Leeds.
"It is my first game in the Premiership and of course everything is new for me," said Loffreda. "There are some changes in the selection so I am looking forward to seeing these players in the team."
Leicester Tigers (vs Leeds Carnegie, away, Saturday 2.45pm)
15 Sam Vesty
14 Tom Varndell
13 Dan Hipkiss
12 Tom Youngs
11 Johne Murphy
10 Andy Goode
9 Frank Murphy
1 Marcos Ayerza
2 Mefin Davies
3 Alex Moreno
4 James Hamilton
5 Ben Kay
6 Tom Croft
7 Lewis Moody (c)
8 Brett Deacon
Replacements
16 George Chuter
17 Dave Young
18 Richard Blaze
19 Luke Abraham
20 Ben Youngs
21 Paul Burke
22 Ayoola Erinle
