Press Notes | McCall Ospreys Preview

Director of Rugby Mark McCall says the knockout stages of the Heineken Champions Cup bring a huge amount of excitement to the whole club.

Saracens welcome the Ospreys to StoneX Stadium on Sunday, and firstly the boss provided an update on the fitness of Owen Farrell after he limped off during the win over Harlequins at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“He took part in training and we’re optimistic he’ll be available. He didn’t need a scan and has trained so as long as there’s no reaction I’m sure he’ll be ok.

He’s our captain and played brilliantly at the weekend so fingers crossed.”

The Ospreys will travel to North London full of confidence after impressive wins over Montpellier and Leicester in the group, and will provide a stern test for the Men in Black.

"If you look at those matches, to beat Montpellier back to back and also win at Leicester shows you what kind of team they are. They have a really experienced group with lots of internationals who are used to big occasions so it’ll be a tough proposition for us.

Our experience of knockout matches is that they’re a big step up. To play different opposition with a different way of playing is tough. It’s been a while since we played the Ospreys and they’re a team that tend to go very hard at the breakdown.”

With a bumper crowd expected, McCall insisted that the squad cannot wait to run out at the weekend.

“The competition is different in terms of the format but the knockout stages are very exciting and we’re looking forward to Sunday.”

Tickets are still available, click HERE to see our return to the Heineken Champions Cup knockout stages!