The Irish province once again proved they cannot be taken lightly with their unique qualities of stubbornness and teamwork in only their second season in European rugby's premier tournament.

Pat Lam, who is a Heineken Cup winner and was appointed as the new Connacht coach last week and will take over in the summer, will be hoping his new side qualify for next season's tournament.

Connacht will be disappointed in the manner of their one-sided 47-8 defeat to Pool winners and Heineken Cup quarter-finals, Harlequins, at the Stoop in their last game of this Pool.

The Irish side will be looking for their third win of the Pool when they host the Italian outfit and they will be looking for a more comprehensive victory that the 19-10 victory they managed in the opening game between the sides in Italy.

Zebre have lost all of their five previous games in the Pool are still looking for their first points in Europe and they will want to prove they can competitive in European rugby.

Match Facts

• Connacht have won their last four round six encounters in all ERC competitions.
• The Irish club have lost three of their last four Heineken Cup games.
• Zebre's Filippo Ferrarini has made 44 successful tackles in the Heineken Cup this season, the 16th highest total of all players in the tournament and more than any other player from an Italian representative.
• Zebre's tackle completion rate of 84% is the lowest across the Heineken Cup, who have on average shipped 40 points per game.
• Fetu'u Vainikolo ranks just outside the top 10 for metres made this season. The Connacht winger has managed a 320m gain overall.