The world's best club competition returns to Sky Sports this weekend. Check out the contenders.
Pool One: Munster, Edinburgh, Saracens, Racing Metro
Racing Metro join three of last season's quarter-finalists in Pool One of this year's competition, where two-time winners Munster are strong favourites to progress to their 14th quarter-final in 18 seasons.
Saracens romped through the pool stages last term before receiving a French lesson from Clermont in the quarters and they are likely to find qualifying much tougher this year, although Edinburgh have endured a slow start to their RaboDirect Pro12 campaign.
The men from the Scottish capital were drawn alongside Top 14 outfit Racing at the same stage 12 months ago, contesting two enthralling matches, both of which Michael Bradley's men won at the death. The 48-47 thriller at Murrayfield will live long in the memory for Edinburgh fans.
Prediction: Munster motor on
Sky Bet Pool Odds: Saracens 13/8, Munster 13/8, Racing Metro 7/2, Edinburgh 7/1.
Pool Two: Toulouse, Leicester, Ospreys, Treviso
The
Pool of Death. Former European kings Leicester and Toulouse are joined by reigning RaboDirect Pro12 champions Ospreys and ever-improving Italian side Treviso.
The Tigers will be smarting from a disappointing campaign in 2011-12, where they failed to advance from the pool stages, and they have now gone over a decade without lifting the trophy.
They will be buoyed by the return of a host of influential figures from injury though, and one feels they will need to be at full strength if they are to mount a serious title challenge. The whisper across the Channel is that Guy Noves is beginning to lose his magic touch at Toulouse but writing off the likes of Lionel Beauxis, Vincent Clerc and Thierry Dusautoir is a dangerous game.
Ospreys will be looking to address their uninspiring record in the competition, in which they have never made it past the quarter-finals stage. Doing so this year would be some achievement bearing in mind this draw, which includes a Treviso side who have already beaten the Welsh region in domestic action.
Prediction: Tigers roar
Sky Bet Pool Odds: Toulouse 4/5, Leicester 2/1, Ospreys 4/1, Treviso 100/1
Pool Three: Harlequins, Biarritz, Connacht, Zebre
In a complete contrast to Pool Two, there is a clear divide between the top and bottom two seeds in Pool Three.
Biarritz and Harlequins will strongly fancy their chances of qualifying for the last eight after being pooled with Connacht and Heineken Cup debutants Zebre. Aviva Premiership champions Quins did suffer defeat at the hands of Connacht in Ireland last term, though, so will be taking nothing for granted when the sides meet again. Biarritz, beaten finalists in 2006 and 2010, have a strong pedigree in the competition and will be led once again by Les Bleus powerhouse forward Imanol Harinordoquy.
Prediction: Quins top, Biarritz claw into quarters
Sky Bet Pool Odds:
