Clermont Auvergne head coach Franck Azema insists they will proudly carry their history into the Champions Cup final while trying to write a new chapter.
The French side lost to Toulon in both the 2013 and 2015 finals and hope to go one better against holders Saracens at BT Murrayfield on Saturday evening (5pm) to win Europe's top trophy for the first time.
Clermont - slayers of Leinster in the semi-final last month - have twice won the Challenge Cup but their record in finals is generally not a good omen; they have lost 11 of their 12 Top 14 deciders.
Azema said: "I know the history of the club and we are very proud of what we have done in the past and our ability to get to finals, and to win titles and lose titles as well.
"We are very consistent and our history shows this. We should be proud of it and carry it with us.
"But we have the opportunity to write a new chapter. Not to erase the history but simply to write something new."
Saracens, who powered past Munster at the Aviva in their last-four collision, also lost to Toulon in the final, in 2014, but won the trophy last year by beating Racing. And Azema admits he is an admirer of their commitment to the cause.
"They have a deep belief in their project," said Azema, whose side finished second behind La Rochelle in this season's Top 14 standings.
"For the last three years they have developed their philosophy and they have major confidence in what they are doing, and results have followed.
"We will try to play our regular game, what we have been doing since the beginning of the season. We will be realistic and pragmatic.
We are very consistent and our history shows this. We should be proud of it and carry it with us.
"We know there will be a lot of pressure from Saracens and we know they can play excellent rugby. But we will stick to the way we play. Changing it would be dangerous.
"If we can surprise them we will, but at this stage of the season we must be reassured and confident about what we have done and what we can achieve.
"Of course there can be some fine-tuning, depending on the scenario and what Saracens decide to do. We can be flexible. We need to find a balance and find any cracks and exploit them."
Clermont's knowledge of their opponents has been helped by having former Saracens winger David Strettle in their squad. The 33-year-old spent five years with Sarries - featuring in the 2014 final - before moving to France in 2015, and will start in Edinburgh.
"It makes it possible to give more meaning to what we have seen in the matches and on video," Azema said.
"We have an understanding of how they play but it was good to speak to him about certain aspects and have a deeper understanding.
"But he left two seasons ago and their play has evolved and their players have evolved as well."
