As eight teams prepare to battle it out for a place in the semi-finals of this season 's European Rugby Champions Cup , Sportsmail 's Nik Simon gives us a run-down of each of the sides left in the competition . LEINSTER VS BATH . STRENGTHS . Fronted by captain Jamie Heaslip , Leinster are armed with international experience and had 11 players in the Ireland squad who beat England last month . Bath 's qualities are channeled through their attack , with Mike Ford giving the likes of England backs George Ford , Jonathan Joseph and Anthony Watson a licence to play with flair . WEAKNESSES . Poor league form has stunted Leinster 's season , with the Dublin side currently fifth in the Pro12 competition after winning just one of their last five fixtures . Bath are short of experience in some key positions , particularly their up and coming backline . DANGERMEN . Leinster : Sean O'Brien Bath : Jonathan Joseph . RECORD . Leinster : Champions 2008-09 , 2010-11 , 2011-12 Bath : Champions 1997-98 . Leinster 's Jamie Heaslip is tackled by Wasps' Sailosi Tagicakibau at the RDS Arena in October 2014 . Bath 's Jonathan Joseph runs with the ball during an open training session at the Farleigh House complex . CLERMONT VS NORTHAMPTON . STRENGTHS . The Stade Marcel Michelin is a fortress , with Clermont not having lost a European game in the Massif Central since a 32-15 defeat by Sale in 2008 . Saints ' Jim Mallinder has one of the most settled groups in the Aviva Premiership , boasting a strong core of squad players who maintain consistently high standards . WEAKNESSES . The Top 14 side were left with a worrying injury list after the Six Nations , with France backs Morgan Parra , Camille Lopez and Wesley Fofana among those missing . Saints try to play on the edge with enforcers such as Dylan Hartley and Calum Clarke , however discipline has previously tipped over the edge in big games . DANGERMEN . Clermont : Napolioni Nalaga Northampton : Courtney Lawes . RECORD . Clermont : Runners-up 2012-13 Northampton : Champions 1999-00 , runners-up 2010-11 . Forward Courtney Lawes passes the ball during a training session for Nothampton on Wednesday . Clermont 's Fiji winger Napolioni Nalaga charges forward with the ball for Clermont at the Michelin Stadium . RACING METRO VS SARACENS . STRENGTHS . Racing are flush with money , investing heavily in overseas players such as Jonathan Sexton , Jamie Roberts and , as of next season , Dan Carter . As well as their famous 'Wolf Pack ' defence , Saracens pride themselves on the set-piece and use the scrum and line-out as dangerous attacking weapons . WEAKNESSES . The nouveau-riche Parisian outfit are inexperienced at knockout European rugby , having never progressed from the group stages before this season . Mark McCall 's suffered heartbreak against Toulon last season and must show more mental fortitude to better their defeat in last season 's final . DANGERMEN . Racing Metro : Jamie Roberts Saracens : Billy Vunipola . RECORD . Racing : First time in knockout Saracens : Runners-up 2013-14 . Saracens ' Billy Vunipola releases the ball during the Aviva Premiership match against Harlequins at Wembley . TOULON VS WASPS . STRENGTHS . Funded by tycoon Mourad Boudjellal , the Cote d'Azur club have invested heavily to create the world 's most star-studded squad . Since relocating to Coventry , Wasps have been driven on by the powerful back row of James Haskell , Ashley Johnson and Nathan Hughes , though Hughes is suspended for kneeing George North in the head . WEAKNESSES . Toulon are in danger of having too many players to choose from , depriving some squad members of the chance to build up consistency . Dai Young has the opposite problem at Wasps , who are not blessed with the same depth and could struggle to fill the void left by Hughes ' three-week ban . DANGERMEN . Toulon : Mathieu Bastareaud Wasps : Christian Wade . RECORD . Toulon : Champions 2012-13 , 2013-14 Wasps : Champions 2003-04 , 2006-07 . James Haskell receives a pass during Wasps ' open training session at the Twyford Avenue Sports Ground . Christian Wade dives to score a try for Warsps during the Aviva Premiership match against Northampton .
Eight teams are left to battle for a place in the semi-finals of the European Rugby Champions Cup . Sportsmail takes a look at their strengths , weaknesses , key players and record in the competition up until now . The quarter-finals will be played over Saturday and April 4-5 Sunday .