Preview:The priority for Munster fans will be for their team to claim a notable scalp, but the national interest is likely to focus on whether Paul O'Connell gets some meaningful game time from the bench in Edinburgh.

The Ireland lock played about an hour of the A interprovincial against Ulster last Friday and got through it without recurrence of the back injury that has plagued him since the World Cup.

He'll be desperate to continue the rehabilitation with more game time at the higher level.

While Munster's head coach, Declan Kidney, would like to help O'Connell in an international context, he'll be mainly preoccupied with winning this match to further the province's Magners Celtic League ambitions. He is well aware of the size of the task.

"This is a huge game for us at what is a very important stage of the season," said Kidney. "Their record here at Murrayfield in both Magners League and Heineken Cup has been very impressive.

"They've built up good momentum and so we're under no illusions about the task we face. Earlier losses at home mean we have to win games on the road and this is never an easy place to come to do that."

Munster welcome back Ian Dowling for his first game since he damaged a knee just before the turn of the year.

Kidney is also able to call upon several of the Ireland squad who travelled to Paris last weekend for the Six Nations Championship clash. Mick O'Driscoll, Tony Buckley and Peter Stringer all start, and Munster look especially strong up front.

There is a potent blend of experience alongside the comparatively youthful Donnacha Ryan and Niall Ronan.

Paul Warwick has proved a very able deputy in the absence of Ronan O'Gara, while the Southern Hemisphere influence is pronounced in the three-quarter line.

The All Black try machine Doug Howlett is named on the right wing, with Lifeimi Mafi and Rua Tipoki once again patrolling the midfield corridor.

Former England coach Andy Robinson has done a superb job since taking over at Edinburgh, making the team difficult to beat at home and tough to break down.

They have won four successive matches in the Celtic League and for this match can call upon Scotland squad members in Allister Hogg, Gavin Kerr and Hugo Southwell.

Their exceptionally promising young centre Nick de Luca suffered a disappointingly fragile start to his Six Nations career after excelling in the Celtic League and Europe: he starts this match on the bench.

Robinson admitted: "Our focus is on beating Munster, so we have picked a side that can beat them and it is good that they (the Test players) are coming back in."

Despite the presence of those Scotland squad members, Munster look the more accomplished. They have ball-winning and ball-carrying ability up front, excellent halfbacks and plenty of linebreakers and gamebreakers in the back line. They also have Anthony Foley's considerable game-management skills.

It may be tight but Munster can eke out an important victory.

EDINBURGH: H Southwell; A Turnbull, B Cairns, J Houston, R Reid; P Godman, B Meyer; A Allori, A Kelly, G Kerr; M Mustchin, C Hamilton; A MacDonald, R Rennie, A Hogg (capt). Replacements: C Smith, S Lawrie, F Pringle, S Cross, G Laidlaw, N De Luca, C MacRae.

MUNSTER: S Payne; D Howlett, R Tipoki, L Mafi, I Dowling; P Warwick, P Stringer; F Pucciariello, F Sheahan, T Buckley; M O'Driscoll, D Ryan; A Quinlan, N Ronan, A Foley (capt). Replacements: D Fogarty, D Hurley, P O'Connell, J Coughlan, T O'Leary, J Manning, K Lewis.

Referee: T Hayes(Wales).

Leading points scorers: Edinburgh- Phil Godman 60. Munster- Paul Warwick 72.

Leading try scorers: Edinburgh- Nick de Luca, Andrew Turnbull 3 each. Munster- Paul Warwick, Denis Leamy 2 each.

Last meeting(November 2007): Munster 19 Edinburgh 16.

Verdict: Munster to win.

Edinburgh v Munster Venue: Murrayfield Kick-off: 7.30 On TV: Setanta Sports 2