Tough task won't be personal says Strokosch

The 26-year-old blindside starred for Scotland in the recent autumn series, starting all three games against Fiji, Australia and Argentina.

Strokosch is now in his third season in the Guinness Premiership having left Edinburgh for Kingsholm in the summer of 2007.

But while Strokosch's return to his homeland is likely to be a headline maker whatever the result at Firhill, his only concern is on ensuring Gloucester leave for England with their Heineken Cup hopes still very much in their own hands.

"It will be nice to go up there - I'm from Glasgow myself so a lot of my family will be at the game," said Strokosch.

"But there'll be nothing personal about the game. It'll just be another one that we need to win."

Having played alongside a large number of the Glasgow squad during his three years of international rugby, Strokosch could well expect plenty of attention at Firhill later tonight.

The former Boroughmuir product knows that he is likely to be targeted by both players and supporters for some good-hearted banter but that the welcome that will await the Gloucester squad as a whole will be anything but friendly.

"I probably will get some stick. Some of the guys are quite fond of opening their gobs so I'll just have to shut them up with the score!"

"I know a lot of the guys quite well but, to be honest, I haven't seen them play club rugby for about two years now.

"It's going to be a huge game. There's not many teams that go up there and beat them away from home.

"Firhill's a tough place to play. It's a football ground so it's a decent size but it's a bit windy and a small pitch. Glasgow use that to their advantage a lot because people don't really like travelling there. Glasgow tend to make the most of that.

"It's a tough place to go but it's a good challenge and everybody loves a challenge."

While Strokosch has continued to enhance his own reputation so far this season, Gloucester have struggled to impose themselves in both European and domestic rugby.

The Cherry and Whites sit eighth in the Guinness Premiership, some eight points off the play-off places, and have already lost at Biarritz in the Heineken Cup after scraping to an unconvincing home win over the Dragons on the opening weekend of European action.

But last Saturday's comfortable victory over Newcastle has reminded the public of the character of this Gloucester squad after the forward pack dominated against a physical Falcons line up.

And Strokosch knows that Gloucester need more of the same this evening if they are to give themselves a realistic chance of reaching the last eight of the continent's premier club competition.

"Our pack's performing really well at the moment," added Strokosch.

"We had a few issues at the start of the season but we've put that to bed and we've now got a pack that can dominate teams and give us a good platform to play from.

"If you win the collisions, you win the game. It's as simple as that.

"We're definitely still in the group and we're looking to progress but we've got to get points on the board."