WHEN Glasgow and Racing 92 were drawn in the same pool of the Champions Cup last season, the outcome was a home win apiece, but that should not be taken to mean that there is any sort of parity between the clubs.

The team from the outskirts of Paris went on to reach the final last year, for example: the Warriors, conversely, have never yet got as far as the quarter-finals. Gregor Townsend has had a decent budget to work with, at least in terms of what has been available to Scottish teams; but it dwindles into small change compared to the riches that Racing have, thanks to the largesse of their owner and president, Jacky Lorenzetti.

Another factor to note is the loss of key Warriors players over the past couple of years - something that contrasts with Racing’s steady construction of a squad capable of taking on the best clubs in Europe. Several important figures from the side that won the PRO12 barely a year and a half ago are no longer with Glasgow, notably Fijian forward Leone Nakarawa, who lines up today in a home team that also contains the 2015 World Player of the Year, Dan Carter; another former All Black, Joe Rokococo; Argentine winger Juan Imhoff; and a host of leading French players too.

In other words, the gulf between the teams is something akin to that between Celtic and Barcelona. One similarity is that the Warriors have been Scotland’s flagbearers in recent years, at times pulling off big wins against more opulent opposition. One notable difference, however, is that Townsend’s team have actually won an international competition in recent years, defeating former holders of the Champions Cup along the way.

In that sense, an away win this afternoon is not wildly improbable. To achieve it, however, Glasgow will have to perform at their very best - something they have done all too rarely this season.

They are on a three-game losing streak, which is officially the worst run of results in a single season since Townsend took over, but they have been buoyed by the return of six internationals, and the head coach hopes that the experience gained from both games against Racing last season will help his men win today.

“We have a huge challenge ahead of us this weekend against one of the best teams in Europe, but we will travel to Paris with belief in achieving something special,” he said after naming his side. “We know Racing 92 well having played them twice last season and have learned a great deal from those experiences. We have also been boosted by our returning international players who have helped us have a very good week of training.”

Some of those internationals were back in the side last week when they lost to Munster in the PRO12, but this match is the first time since the Autumn Tests that Townsend has been able to select what, barring injury, is his strongest team. The three additions to the back line see Stuart Hogg return at full-back, Alex Dunbar come in at centre and Finn Russell start at stand-off. In the pack, Zander Fagerson, captain Jonny Gray and Italian back-row forward Simone Favaro are the three who return from international duty.

Ali Price continues at scrum-half, but Henry Pyrgos is listed among the substitutes for the first time since recovering from a knee injury and should come on midway through the second half. Pete Horne and Rory Hughes, who were both carried off last week and face long spells on the sidelines, are among the names on the injury list who would have been considered for a place if they had been fit.

And, while there have been recent disappointments in the league, Townsend has been encouraged by signs of improvement last week and is sure the return of his big guns will be a boost to the whole squad. “The players are in a positive place,” he said.

“They were obviously disappointed with the defeat [last week], but there are a couple of ways you can go with it as a coach. You can be really tough on the players or you can try and boost them up or you can work as normal - and this week has been a work-as-normal choice, because I thought that the second half was excellent.

“I thought we put in a lot of effort to get back into the game and score two tries. The work rate the players put in was huge.

“Yeah, we didn't get the win, but we were on the right track. We’re boosted by players coming back this week and the challenge will be tougher, but you gauge on how the players are training and we’ve worked well this week.”

If Racing hog the ball and play a slow, forward, dominated game, the Glasgow pack will struggle. But the home team also have a tradition of playing open, entertaining rugby, an approach which would suit the Warriors better. Townsend warned, however, that they are equally adept at either style.

“They can do both. They’re one of the French teams that play the most. They actually move the ball from scrums.

“They do have an excellent lineout drive and we experienced it in the away game last year. But part of the lineout drive is you give them the opportunity to go there. You give them penalties in the middle of the field and we can't do that against any team, but especially against the English and French. If you give them five or six chances to drive in the 22 you’re going to have outcomes that are not great for you.”

Glasgow Warriors (against Racing 92 at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir, today, 3.15pm BST): S Hogg; T Seymour, A Dunbar, S Johnson, L Jones; F Russell, A Price; G Reid, F Brown, Z Fagerson, T Swinson, J Gray, R Harley, S Favaro, R Wilson. Substitutes: C Flynn, A Allan, S Puafisi, B Alainu’uese, J Strauss, H Pyrgos, M Bennett, S Lamont.

Racing 92: B Dulin; J Rokocoko, C Laulala, A Tuitavke, J Imhoff; D Carter, M Machenaud; E Ben Arous, D Szarzewski, C Gomes Sa, M Carizza, L Nakarawa, W Lauret, Y Nyanga, A Claassen. Substitutes: C Chat, V Afatia, L Ducalcon, G Grobler, C Masoe, X Chauveau, B Dambielle, A Vulivuli.