The Murrayfield head coach has backed his players to seize on those memories and construct the sort of fast start so crucial to a successful European campaign. He said: “We go to Cardiff in a very positive frame of mind after the last couple of games, and mindful of the fact that in this competition, how you fare in the first couple of matches is crucial.

“We can take a lot of confidence from the fact we won all our home pool games last season, but we know the next step is picking up points on the road.

“We’ve done well in Cardiff in the recent past and I’ve been really struck by the determination of the guys to maintain that record and get our campaign off to a positive start.

“There’s been an edge to training this week, just what you would want in the run-up to such an important game. It’s now about carrying that into the match itself and making sure we come away with the right result.”

Moffat has today named a 25-man squad for the fixture. Chris Paterson returns to the fold after missing the win over Aironi because of a foot injury, while Mike Blair, who was withdrawn from the replacements bench for that game after sustaining a slight tweak to his hamstring, is also included.

Back-row forwards Ross Rennie and Netani Talei, neither of whom featured in Italy, are both in the squad, alongside wing/centre David Bishop, who joined Edinburgh on a three-month contract earlier this week.

Moffat will confirm his starting line-up tomorrow. The head coach said: “It’s good to have so many guys putting their hand up for selection.

“This is the sort of game that every player wants to be a part of, and the team we send out on Saturday will be absolutely raring to go.

“It’s vital that we set a positive tone for the campaign as a whole, and set ourselves up well for when we come back to Murrayfield to play Northampton next week (Saturday 16 October, kick-off 1.30pm).” 

EDINBURGH SQUAD FOR HEINEKEN CUP POOL 1 MATCH AGAINST CARDIFF BLUES, SATURDAY 9 OCTOBER, CARDIFF CITY STADIUM, KICK-OFF 5.45PM (LIVE ON SKY SPORTS VIA RED BUTTON)

BACKS: Chris Paterson, Jim Thompson, Mark Robertson, Tim Visser, Ben Cairns, Alex Grove, James King, David Bishop, David Blair, Mike Blair, Greig Laidlaw

FORWARDS: Allan Jacobsen, Geoff Cross, Kyle Traynor, David Young, Jack Gilding, Ross Ford, Andrew Kelly, Scott MacLeod, Fraser McKenzie, Craig Hamilton, Netani Talei, Alan Macdonald, Ross Rennie, Roddy Grant.

The Cardiff Blues Bus for the Edinburgh game on Saturday 9 October will pick up from Wood Street only due to road closures.

The buses will therefore start from Wood Street Stop just in front of Cardiff Central Train Station) at 4.10pm.
The route has been chosen to enable supporters to visit the stadium as simply as possible. The shuttle bus goes every 10 minutes to and from the stadium.
The shuttle bus service is free for season ticket holders and costs only £2.00 for non season ticket holders.

The latest report by Experian, who provide an in-depth analysis of the UK’s retail centres, shows that Cardiff has jumped impressively from 10th place to 6th.

The news comes on the back of the last month’s opening of St David’s, which according to Experian could potentially move the Welsh capital into the top five retail destinations by 2014.

The opening of St David’s saw an extra half a million people pass through the city centre in the first three days, with millions of people now travelling to the Welsh capital every week. This has seen Cardiff leapfrog Nottingham, Leeds, Edinburgh and Bluewater in Kent, putting it firmly on the map as one of the major retail players in the UK.

Extended shopping hours, new park and ride facilities as well as the new Freeb bus offering people a free option to travel around the city centre have all contributed to help make Cardiff a special retail destinaton.

Cardiff Council leader Rodney Berman said: “I have been confidently predicting that on the back of St David’s, Cardiff would move up into the top 10 retail locations and now these figures show that we’ve clearly achieved that. When you look at the cities around us in the league table it is a clear indication of just how far Cardiff has come and underlines our status as a true European capital.

“When you add to St David’s and John Lewis, the popularity of Queen Street and the city centre’s Victorian arcades you have a unique retail destination and I’m proud that Cardiff is now getting the credit it deserves.”

Executive member for Economic Development, Councillor Neil McEvoy, added: “These latest figures show the economic impact of retail tourism on the city which is a huge boost for Cardiff in the current financial climate. When you look at the mix Cardiff now offers in terms of culture, retail, leisure and sport, coupled with its accessibility and compactness, Cardiff is a city that people clearly want to come and visit.”