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Bath will effectively find themselves in knockout rugby mode when they tackle European Champions Cup opponents Montpellier on Friday night.

Successive defeats against Glasgow and Toulouse during the tournament's opening flurries in October mean that Bath cannot afford any further Pool Four slip-ups.

And the hard work begins with back-to-back clashes against Montpellier, starting in France and continuing at the Recreation Ground in eight days' time, while current pool pace-setters Glasgow and Toulouse will feature on Bath's January schedule.

Reaching the quarter-finals represents a tall order, but Bath maintained strong domestic form throughout November and they have no intention of throwing in the towel.

"We are going into it (Europe) with some form, but in this fixture I don't think form comes into it," Bath flanker Carl Fearns said.

"It's basically a knockout game. We can turn around our tournament if we get a win.

"It is going to be massive in the set-piece on Friday, and we need to dominate there.

"This is a competition we want to play in, and it is a massive stage, so it's about now and putting right the first two games."

Sam Burgess, meanwhile, looks set to make his Champions Cup debut after the former rugby league star was retained among Bath's replacements for the Montpellier trip.

Burgess made a long-awaited union bow six days ago, coming on as a second-half substitute during Bath's 25-6 Aviva Premiership victory over Harlequins.

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