On Saturday evening, in a hostile and all too familiar setting, Munster will take to the field in their tenth consecutive Heineken Cup quarter-final.

Munster's Jerry Flannery will be a key player in this weekend's Heineken Cup quarter-final against Gloucester.

It's a staggering statistic when one considers the level of opposition faced over the past decade and it's an accolade unrivalled throughout European club rugby. Toulouse are their nearest rivals, with the South of France powerhouse appearing in their ninth quarter-final in thirteen years. One of the more critical characteristics required for next weekend's clash with Gloucester will be experience and Munster possess it in abundance. Knock-out rugby requires a different level of intelligence and expertise and the team more suited to unnerving levels of pressure will prevail.

Injury concerns over four key players, Marcus Horan, Denis Leamy, David Wallace and Rua Tipoki have now all but dissolved and with that in mind coach Declan Kidney faces the unenviable task of selecting his starting fifteen. In the pack alone, Kidney must choose eight players from a collection of thirteen fully-capped internationals and that doesn't include the in-form duo of Donncha Ryan and Niall Ronan. Given the expected reception from the Kingsholm faithful, it's more than likely that Munster will start with their established front-eight.

Now that Jerry Flannery is back to full fitness, we can assume that the hooker will scrum down either side of Horan and John Hayes. With Donncha O'Callaghan and Paul O'Connell expected to be named in the second-row, the onus for the team's intentions will rest squarely on the shoulders of this quintet. Munster must set the tone for Saturday's game right from the kick-off and this level of intensity must first emanate from within the front-five. It's vital that the visitors dominate the home side up-front and coupling their vast experience with the required levels of aggression should be enough to gain the upper-hand.

At this stage of the competition last year Munster, the reigning champions, were unceremoniously dumped out of the competition by a free-flowing Llanelli Scarlets. Paul O'Connell and the rest of the squad will be anxious to prevent any such occurrence from repeating itself and with that in mind the visitors will be hoping to inflict their own game plan upon proceedings and dictate the pace of the game throughout. Twice in the last six years Munster have left Kingsholm empty handed and this experience could prove vital on Saturday.

The home side are littered with an array of attacking options, both in the set-piece and from broken play. Up-front they rely on a potent combination of international experience and youthful enthusiasm. Olivier Azam and Andy Titterrell are both vying for the number two jersey and in each player coach Dean Ryan possesses a game-breaking alternative. Lock and captain Marco Bortolami is one of the finest second-rows in world rugby. Recently sidelined with a suspected fractured eye-socket, the Italian international is anxious to prove his return to full-fitness. The back-row combination of Alasdair Strokosch and Akapusi Qera possesses enough talent to worry any side and their respective battles with their opposite numbers will have a significant bearing on the final outcome. Quick ball at the breakdown and an unfair share of turnovers will decide this game and the back-row combinations for both sides will be key in this area.

Out-wide Gloucester possess the man-mountain English international Lesley Vainikolo. The former New Zealand rugby league star has proved a revelation in this season's English Premiership. With the ball in hand, Vainikolo is as dangerous as any player in world rugby, however his inexperience at this level may prove his downfall. Doubts also remain over the confidence of full-back Iain Balshaw and with Mike Tindall currently sidelined, the home side may be lacking the necessary know-how to contain a formidable Munster fifteen.

Gloucester have been infallible at home over the past eighteen months and if Munster are to have any hopes of progressing to the semi-final then a good start is an absolute necessity. Ronan O'Gara's flawless kicking game will have a large hand in proceedings but it's imperative that his pack give him the platform to perform. If Paul O'Connell and the rest of his pack can dominate the Gloucester front-eight then O'Gara will twist the knife even further and send Munster into the last four.

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