Leeds Carnegie v Bourgoin: Confident Leeds hope they have momentum to progress

Survival in the Premiership is the season's principal aim but victory over the French club – who were runners-up in last year's competition – would crown Leeds as Pool One winners, seal their place in the quarter-final and increase the likelyhood of the Yorkshire side facing one of this weekend's Heineken Cup drop-outs.

For the three sides who finish as third- to fifth-best runners-up in Europe's premier competition automatically qualify for the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup.

All five pool winners in the second-tier competition qualify for the last eight with the teams seeded according to how many points they scored. The top four seeds then host the three Heineken Cup drop-outs and the fifth-best Challenge Cup pool winner.

As it stands, a five-point victory for Leeds – who have 19 points from five games – would see them qualify for the last eight as one of the top four sides, guaranteeing a home draw in the next round which is scheduled for the weekend of April 9-11, by virtue of Wasps' defeat to Racing Metro on Thursday which means they have won Pool Four on 23 points.

European Rugby Cup introduced the new system at the start of the season to spice up the Challenge Cup.

Despite fears that it may devalue the competition due to the possibility of teams playing six games to win their pool only to be beaten by a stronger side demoted from the top tier who have to win three games to win a trophy, it has added an extra ingredient to the final weekend's Heineken Cup encounters, with Gloucester the side likely to finish second in their pool but miss out on progression altogether.

Feasibly Leeds could face anyone of Northampton, Munster, Leicester, Clermont Auvergne, Stade Francais, Ulster, Cardiff Blues, Sale, holders Leinster or London Irish at Headingley Carnegie in the next round.

"For us to have the opportunity to play one of the three sides to come down in a home draw is quite exciting," said Leeds director of rugby Andy Key.

"From one of the groups you could have either Leicester, Ospreys or Clermont and who's to say one of those won't be a team that comes here?

"A Clermont at Headingley would be a fantastic game to play – if we can get through this weekend."

Standing in their way are Bourgoin, the only side to have defeated Leeds in the competition so far when they triumphed 29-19 in eastern France in October.

That early win for the French club means they can afford to draw at Headingley tomorrow and progress because they have the edge on Leeds on the head-to-head record.

"We have got ourselves, through a good squad performance, into a very strong position to win the group," said Key, who appreciates the opposition have the same incentive for victory as Leeds.

"When you get into this position it's about retaining the confidence and the momentum. We continue every week to look at our performance and build on it, knowing we have to improve to win in the Premiership.

"A game against Bourgoin gives us that standard of game for us to compete. We're not just looking for a win but an improved performance.

"Bourgoin got through to the final last year and ran Northampton very close.

"They're tough, they're competitive, they're not afraid to run the ball and move it about – that's been supported by the recent games we've watched them in.

"They underestimated Parma (their only defeat), but the true measure of the side was in the games we've watched recently against the likes of Toulon, Racing Metro and Biarritz. They can be very dangerous if you give them time and space on the ball."

In earlier games Leeds have used the Challenge Cup – and indeed the LV Anglo-Welsh Cup which resumes next weekend – as a chance to give their fringe players a run-out.

With so much at stake tomorrow, Leeds have named a strong side with props Mike MacDonald and Juan Gomez returning in place of Gareth Hardy and Pete Bucknall.

Erik Lund takes over from Phil Murphy in the second row and Kearnan Myall returns at No 6 instead of Tom Denton, who drops to the bench.

Key added: "We've got this far; the last thing we want to do is lose at the last hurdle."