Head coach Matt Sherratt is expecting a vibrant atmosphere and a fierce contest at the Arms Park when his side face west Walian rivals, Scarlets on Saturday.

The Blue and Blacks sold out three matches last year and Sherratt noted the strong ticket sales for the fixture and is hoping for another bumper Cardiff crowd this weekend.

“I’ve had a look at the crowd yesterday in terms of how the tickets are going, and it looks like it’s going to be a busy day at the Arms Park with lots of Scarlet fans coming as well,” said Sherratt.

“They’re always enjoyable games, these derbies, in terms of the rivalry and the amount of fans you get.

“We saw a lot of that last year with sell-outs in some European and Anglo-Welsh games, and hopefully we pack it out again on Saturday.”

The two sides faced off just two weeks ago with Cardiff earning a narrow win, and both teams will have limited new footage to review for preparation.

However, Sherratt is confident that his team is ready for an even more challenging Scarlets side this time around.

“It’s quite a funny one actually because we played them two weeks ago so the preview is only one game for each team to look at,” added Sherratt.

“Both teams aren’t going to change a huge amount. I think we’ve planned to get the very best Scarlets team, and the very best Scarlets team will be more physical than they were at their place.”

Reflecting on Scarlets’ recent form, Sherratt noted the narrow margins that have affected their results.

He is also expecting them to bring a more expansive brand of rugby than they played at Parc Y Scarlets and an improved performance, but it is a challenge his side are prepared for.

“You can see it from two sides; they were three or four minutes away from beating Treviso away and then three minutes from beating Connacht, and then it’s a completely different outlook.

“It doesn’t mean they’ve played terribly or brilliantly. It could have gone either way on those games, and at some stage they’ll get one if they keep in those.

“When they’ve come here in the past, they’ve tried to move the ball around a little bit and play the way the Scarlets have traditionally played.

“We’ve planned on them coming here and being at their absolute best.

“We’ve certainly not put any emphasis on their form or our last game. We’ve got to expect the best of them to turn up.”