London Wasps were aided and abetted by Andy Goode's poor kicking return while Jeremy Staunton kept up the pressure by kicking six out of seven of Wasps' goals. The tight win was sealed when Leicester coughed up the ball inside Wasps' 22 and Ayoola Erinle (now with Leicester) had the stamina to run 80 metres to score by the posts.

Tigers scored three tries of their own through Leon Lloyd, Tom Varndell (as usual) and Dan Hipkiss. We should expect more of the same this time, as Wasps have won three recent games despite conceding more tries than their opponents.

The key to this battle, as with May 2007's Heineken Cup final victory, and the previous EDF semi in 2006, is to compete in the forwards and not to concede any ground on the field or on the score board.

Ian McGeechan spoke of raising the bar for this encounter: "There is no doubt this is the biggest challenge we've faced to date this season. When you are in the knockout stages of any competition, you expect the opposition to raise the bar, and Leicester will be no exception. Of course, that requires us to do the same, but I think the history of big games between our two sides has consistently shown that Wasps and Leicester bring out the best in each other."

Danny Cipriani, Paul Sackey, Phil Vickery, Simon Shaw and James Haskell return but back-rowers Joe Worsley (foot) and Tom Rees (knee) are out.

McGeechan added: "It is good to welcome back those players who have been away on international duty, but is is important from a club perspective that they can successfully don their Wasps hats once again and fulfil the roles we expect them to play for the club. The game will also provide a fantastic experience for our younger players, with the expectation and big-game atmosphere at the Millennium Stadium being a stern challenge for them."

Wasps' Ireland scrum-half Eoin Reddan insists there will be no let-up in the fierce rivalry between two traditional powerhouse clubs: "Wasps and Leicester are the most successful teams in England by a long way, and that is where our rivalry stems from. Between them, the two clubs have dominated silverware over the last 10 years. The other clubs between them haven't won the same amount. We are successful teams who often end up meeting on the big stage. Past results, when one of us has been thumped, shows the quality and mental strength of the teams.

"Saturday will be a great game and a big occasion. A lot of players have come back from international rugby, and now it's time for us to repay Wasps' understanding for letting us play for our countries."

Replacements: B Kayser, M Ayerza, J White, J Crane, C Laussucq, M Cornwell, S Vesty.

Replacements: J Ward, T French, G Skivington, D Leo, M McMillan, D Walder, D Waldouck.

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales).

Touch judges: Nigel Whitehouse and Jon Mason (both Wales).

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