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Big match preview: Tigers versus Racing

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Leicester Tigers and French visitors Racing 92 meet in Nottingham on Sunday afternoon with a place in the European Champions Cup Final at stake.

The City Ground, home of Nottingham Forest FC, hosts its second European rugby fixture with Tigers hoping to repeat the outcome of their previous visit in 2002 when a try from Harry Ellis and the kicking of full-back Tim Stimpson ensured progress to the club’s second successive Final.
 
Racing 92, with All Blacks legend Dan Carter at fly-half and internationals from seven countries in their Champions Cup squad, are chasing a place in the Final for a first time and have already knocked out treble champions Toulon.
 
Tigers are the top try-scorers in this year’s tournament with 30 scores from seven fixtures so far, Racing have the meanest defence with only seven tries conceded and the afternoon in Nottingham has all the ingredients of another memorable European occasion in the East Midlands.
 
“It’s a home crowd for us, I’ve heard it’s a really good pitch and we’re excited about the game,” said Tigers centre Manu Tuilagi who will gain his first taste of a European Cup semi-final on Sunday.
 
“It is a challenge to go up against Racing as a team. You saw against Toulon in the quarter-final how good they are and it will be tough, but we have got to focus on ourselves and focus on what would have been doing in the last few weeks. And we have to believe in ourselves.”
 
Tigers lock Graham Kitchener reaches 100 appearances for the club on Sunday, with prop Logovi’i Mulipola also set to reach that landmark after being named among the replacements.
 
Tigers and Racing have met on four previous occasions, but not since the 1920s when the Parisians became Leicester’s first French opponents and also their first overseas hosts. Click here for 20 things you should know about Racing.
 
Referee on Sunday is Nigel Owens of Wales, who was also in charge of the Tigers’ quarter-final win over Stade Francais.
 
Both teams will wear their normal home kit, though Racing won the toss for the use of the home dressing room at The City Ground.
 
If scores are level at the end of 80 minutes, a period of extra time will be played and there is also provision for a place-kick competition if there is still no separating the teams. Click here for more details.
 
Match tickets are still available at Nottingham Forest FC.
 
Click here for our full matchday guide to see what is in store for this Tigers matchday.