Preview: Biarritz v Toulouse

Estadio Anoeta will host a rematch of last year's Heineken Cup final when Biarritz take on Toulouse in Sunday's quarter-final.

Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastian will host a rematch of last year's Heineken Cup final when Biarritz take on defending champions Toulouse in Sunday's quarter-final.

Biarritz have made no secret of the fact that they will be out for revenge after losing last year's final, and in front of a sold-out 32,000 crowd made up mostly of Basque fans it should be a cracker.

As four-time champions and having made the knock-out stages seven times, Toulouse are the undisputed kings of Europe and are still on track for that elusive French-European double.

In a rare break from routine, Toulouse manager Guy Novès took his team to a training camp at the seaside resort of Capbreton this week where the good weather and proximity to San Sebastian provided the ideal conditions to prepare for what is set to be a titanic battle.

The champions will however be without a host of senior players, including prop Benoît Lecouls, scrum-half Byron Kelleher and captain Thierry Dusautoir, all of whom played key roles in last year's victorious final.

Add to that list Frédéric Michalak and les Toulousains are required to dig very deep into their bountiful resources.

The inclusion of Daan Human will come as a massive boost however after the South African loosehead missed last week's trip to Perpignan through injury.

France centre Yannick Jauzion's dip in form has prompted Novès to take a bold step and leave him on the bench in favour of the erratic Clément Poitrenaud at number twelve.

Toulouse have packed their bench with forwards in a six-two split, suggesting we are in for a battle royale up front.

Biarritz have also been sorely handicapped by the absence of injured front rowers Benoît August and Fabien Barcella.

BO's Australian full-back Dane Haylett-Petty has been ruled out with an ankle injury meaning former England international Iain Balshaw shifts to the number fifteen jersey allowing Fijian Ilikena Bolakoro to start on the left wing.

The Basques are also sweating over the fitness of centre Damien Traille, who underwent a scan on Friday after hurting his Achilles tendon in training.

Biarritz were 25-20 winners when they hosted Toulouse in the Top 14 back in November but in the return match in February, Toulouse held on for a 23-19 victory.

All indications point to another closely-fought encounter.

Players to watch:

For Biarritz: Former England full-back Iain Balshaw has revitalised his career in Biarritz, where he has become a stalwart in the back three. Balshaw scored the last time these teams met (in Toulouse) and certainly has the experience required for the big occasion.

For Toulouse: With international scrum-halves Frédéric Michalak, Nicolas Vergallo and Byron Kelleher all ruled out through injury, 21-year-old Nicolas Bézy will make his first Heineken Cup start in the number nine jersey for the defending champions. In the Top 14, Bézy has displayed a temperament that belies his youth and Sunday will certainly be an occasion for cool heads. Up against a very experienced campaigner in Dimitri Yachvili, the former France U19 playmaker has a chance to make a name for himself on the European stage.

Head-to-head: Even though he will start at flank on Sunday, Imanol Harinordoquy is France's first-choice number eight. Many were surprised to see Toulouse charger Louis Picamoles left out of France's Six Nations squad but he is still very much in the running to make the World Cup group and will relish the opportunity to make an impression in a head-to-head clash with his direct rival.

Prediction: Don't bet your house on this one, it could go either way. Based on pure European pedigree, you'd have to back Toulouse but Biarritz have an impressive record at the Estadio Anoeta. We reckon the Toulouse pack might just have the edge. Toulouse by a point or two

The teams:

Biarritz Olympique: 15 Iain Balshaw, 14 Takudzwa Ngwenya, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Damien Traille, 11 Ilikena Bolakoro, 10 Julien Peyrelongue, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Raphael Lakafia, 7 Imanol Harinordoquy, 6 Magnus Lund, 5 Erik Lund, 4 Jérôme Thion, 3 Sylvain Marconnet, 2 Romain Terrain, 1 Eduard Coetzee.
Replacements: 16 Eusebio Guinazu, 17 James Afoa, 18 Campbell Johnstone, 19 Pelu Taele, 20 Wenceslas Lauret, 21 Yann Lesgourgues, 22 Charles Gimenez, 23 Arnaud Mignardi,

Stade Toulousain: 15 Cédric Heymans, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Clément Poitrenaud, 11 Maxime Medard, 10 David Skrela, 9 Nicolas Bezy, 8 Louis Picamoles , 7 Sylvain Nicolas, 6 Jean Bouilhou, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Romain Millo-Chluski, 3 Census Johnston, 2 William Servat, 1 Daan Human,
Replacements: 16 Virgile Lacombe, 17 Jean-Baptiste Poux, 18 Yohan Montes, 19 Yoann Maestri, 20 Jean-Marc Doussain, 21 Yannick Jauzion, 22 Yannick Nyanga, 23 Grégory Lamboley,

Date: Sunday, April 10
Venue: Estadio Anoeta, San Sebastian (Spain)
Kick-off: 17:30 (15:30 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes