The 2003 tournament winners and 2004 and 2007 Heineken Cup champions currently sit at the top of Pool 4 with an unbeaten record, but Bayonne are just three points adrift and know that qualification for the quarter-finals is still in their own hands.

A win of any sort for Wasps would see them reach the last eight a week early but a Bayonne success by four match points to nil or five match points to one would mean that a bonus-point win at Grenoble in Round 6 would guarantee pole position regardless of how Wasps fare at home to struggling Viadana.

History is in Wasps’ favour despite Bayonne’s home advantage, however, with Wasps having won five and drawn one of their seven European encounters over the past five seasons. Wasps won 12-3 at the Stade Jean Dauger in 2009/10 and drew 13-13 there last season, although Bayonne’s solitary success did come at this venue when they ran out 19-11 victors in the 2011/12 campaign.

Wasps won the reverse leg of this fixture 26-10 at Adams Park in October but it was a far from comfortable ride for much of the night. Bayonne led 10-6 at the interval before Wasps scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to take early control of the pool.

Dai Young’s men have already won across the Channel this season and they did so in hugely encouraging fashion as they thrashed Grenoble 47-7 in Round 3.

Bayonne were beaten 20-8 in their most recent domestic outing at Perpignan at the weekend but they will be in high spirits returning to home soil given that they shocked four-times Heineken Cup kings Toulouse 25-13 on December 29.

Wasps won’t travel light on confidence, either, after victory over Exeter Chiefs last weekend made it five wins in their last six fixtures, with their only defeat being by just two points to high-flying Northampton in the Aviva Premiership.