Gloucester head coach Bryan Redpath believes his side's Heineken Cup opener away to four-time winners Toulouse is a great start to the tournament.
The Cherry and Whites head to the South of France on the opening weekend of the 2011/12 tournament and they can cause an upset according to former Scotland scrum-half.
"It's great for us as no-one will think about us challenging Toulouse," he told BBC Gloucestershire.
"But I'm sure we can.
"It's important for the three sides - Connacht, Quins and Gloucester - to fight it out and make sure we are giving ourselves a chance to compete against Toulouse.
"That first away game is massive. You can't really plan as it's a long way ahead but you know you've got a very big one to start off and then Quins the week after.
"It's always tough in France, no matter who you are.
"This is the Champions League of rugby. To play against one of the best sides in Europe from the past decade is a great challenge that we are looking forward to."