The Swansea region fought back from 16-6 down to rescue a 19-19 draw at the Liberty Stadium last weekend to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.
But Gibbes is hoping his side can go one step further and claim the scalp of the multi-national and multi-talented Racing team. And he is hoping to use their unfamiliarity with the MMArena to the Ospreys’ advantage.
He said: “It is an away game for us but it is for them too. We are going to go and give it a good crack, it looks like the pitch and weather will be good so we will be giving it a go.
“Never say never. If you look across the Champions Cup it is very tight in each pool but we do need be on the right side of the ledger this weekend if we are to have a sniff come January but for now we just have to hit it hard this weekend and see where it leaves us.”
It is the first time Racing Metro will play at the ground located inside the Circuit de la Sarthe, home of the famous Le Mans 24 hour race.
And the hosts will be hoping to continue a run that sees them top Pool Five, level with Northampton on 10 points. They are one of just three sides with an undefeated record in the Champions Cup, with round three’s draw the only blot on an otherwise perfect record.
Dan Lydiate will not feature against his old side after his move was confirmed this week, as 20-year-old flanker Olly Cracknell was named as their second replacement to their European squad.
Gibbes said: “If we go and play well we have already shown we can make an impression on them, but we have to play for 80 minutes. We have to move them around, they are a big pack and defend well. They control their game through set-piece so we do not want to go toe to toe. We tried that last week and got a big burnt.
“Last week we did not handle the driving line-out well, this week we want to have better aerial competition and make sure we read the line-out better. You have to stop it at source as they get set quickly and get tight around it but we will do a better job.”
