Fans flood in to see clash of the champions

Leicester Tigers enjoyed the biggest Welford Road crowd of the professional era as they beat Toulouse 14-9 in a pulsating Round 3 contest - and the quick-fire return on Sunday at Le Stadium is set to attract a capacity crowd of 37,000 for the heavyweight showdown that could go a long way to shaping a Pool in which just two points separate the top three.

There were 17,498 packed into Welford Road and it all adds up to the strong possibility of over 54,000 fans watching the back-to-back matches between clubs who between them have won the Heineken Cup five times.

"They are going to be two completely different games," said Tigers captain Martin Corry. "We rode our luck and the try came from one of their mistakes.

"The pitch dictated the way the game went and it was error ridden as a result. It will be a faster track in Toulouse and a completely different atmosphere.

"When they got the ball it was all them. All week our attitude was such that we knew it was a big game. We were looking forward to it but we didn't play our best rugby and we know there is more to come."

And coach Marcelo Loffreda - the man who guided Argentina to third place at the World Cup two months ago - admitted his first experience fully in charge of the Tigers in a Heineken Cup match had been a nervy affair.

"I was nervous throughout the game," he said. "It was critical for us to get a win and that's what we got so we are pleased with that.

"But we need to make some improvements in certain aspects of our game this week and there is a lot of hard work to do before we meet them again in Toulouse as they have an advantage in that they are playing at home."

And veteran French international Fabien Pelous roared an "it's only half-time in our battle" warning to the Tigers.

"This was just the first half of our big game - it's only half-time and we intend to go on and win the second half," he added.

"Our goal is to win at home in Round 4 and stop Leicester from taking a bonus point. If we can do that then we will have won the contest.

"Leicester were full of power up front and we tried to take them on it that area. Our scrum was strong, but we had a few problems at the line-out. We tried to build our game but, as in all matches between two big teams, the game turned on a few little things.

"Because of a small mistake they went ahead with their try but now all the pressure is on Leicester when they come to Toulouse."