Four-time winners Toulouse, the defending French champions, and five-time finalists Tigers, the first team to win back-to-back Heineken Cups, meet at Le Stadium on Sunday (kick off 4pm local time).
And with defending RaboDirect Pro 12 champions Ospreys taking on Treviso, who have already secured league wins against Ospreys, Scarlets and Edinburgh this season, contesting the other opening Pool 2 fixture, Geordan Murphy admits Tigers have to be on their game to qualify for the knockout stages.
“We have a very difficult group,” says Murphy, Tigers' leading Heineken Cup try scorer. "We have Toulouse away first up followed by Ospreys at Welford Road and then Treviso back-to-back before Christmas.
“That’s the winners of the French league, the winners of the Pro 12 and the top Italian side, who are consistently turning teams over.
“As a team, we have gone everywhere in Europe and won. We know that on our day we can beat any side.
“It’s a tough group and we have our work cut out for us. If we are going to have ambitions of winning the Heineken Cup then we are going to have to beat the best teams at some stage.”
Heineken Cup group stage games at Welford Road are including on a Tigers season ticket. Match tickets are available now online by clicking here, on the hotline 0844 856 1880 and in person from the Tigers ticket office.
