The Welsh side, who have failed to reach the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup for the last two seasons, will be looking to fly the flag for Wales in the last eight of this season's tournament.

But the Ospreys, who came through the festive period unbeaten, know if the do not beat Leicester Tigers they will have blown their chances of a place in the knock-out stages of the competition.

The Welsh side will be full of confidence when they recorded the shock of the tournament in the last round of games, with their 17-6 victory over four-time champions Toulouse with Eli Walker a constant threat.

The Tigers, who won the Heineken Cup in 2001 and 2002, will be determined to knock the Ospreys out and put some light between themselves and Toulouse for the final weekend of the Pool stages.

The English side will also know that they have more than a decent record against the Ospreys, having comfortably beaten them 39-22 in the first meeting between the sides in this Pool.

Leicester are very much in the driving seat, in this three-way battle for a quarter-final place, and have only lost two of the seven meetings with the Ospreys in the Heineken Cup.

Match Facts

• Ospreys have lost just one of their last four Heineken Cup matches against Leicester (W2 D1) but four of the seven meetings between the two have gone the Tigers' way.
• Despite their modest tackling success rate (85%), the Welsh side have won the joint-most turnovers in the competition alongside Ulster (11 per game).
• Ospreys have nine wins, 10 losses and have drawn once against English opposition. Four of those defeats have come in their last four outings against English teams.
• Leicester are currently enjoying a three-match winning streak, during which they have averaged 29 points scored per game.
• Geordan Murphy, who has made more appearances in Europe for the Tigers than any other player, is vying for his 75th Heineken Cup outing for Leicester.