Argentinean lock Patricio Albacete hopes to keep his dream of winning the Heineken Cup on track by helping Toulouse beat reigning champions Leinster this weekend.
Only three Pumas have taken home highly prized Heineken Cup winners medals in the past - Federico Mendez, Martin Scelzo and Omar Hassan - and Albacete knows how it feels to get within touching distance having lost with Toulouse in the 2008 final.
That was also against Irish opposition, albeit the red shirts of Munster, and Albacete doesn't want to missout again on the top prize.
"The Heineken Cup is a dream. I'd love to win it because it is the most important competition with the best players in Europe," said Albacete, who has started all seven Toulouse games in Europe this season.
"Combining the Heineken Cup and Top 14 is almost impossible because every single week we have important games.
"It would be an extraordinary thing to achieve a double win because the pace of both tournaments is infernal. The schedule is intense, but that is certainly the goal."
Albacete is looking forward to locking horns with a familiar rival in the second row battle, Leinster's Scotland and British & Irish Lions star Nathan Hines.
"I know him very well from playing against him in the Top 14 when he was at Perpignan international field, like the quarter-finals of the 2007 Rugby World Cup and last November's Autumn series," he added.
