Connacht out-half Jack Carty says the province are worth their place in the Heineken Cup and are delighted to be back after a two-year absence.
After two seasons spent in the Challenge Cup, Connacht return to Europe's premier club competition following a strong showing in the 2018-19 Pro 14 campaign, having sealed their qualification with a 29-22 win over Cardiff Blues at the Sportsground in April.
It's Connacht fifth's spin in the European Cup and their second since the qualification criteria for Irish provinces was tightened.
They have yet to escape the pool phase.
This time around, they've been landed in a pool with tournament aristocrats Toulouse, Premiership nearly-men Gloucester and two-time Top 14 runners-up Montpellier, who they host in their opener on Sunday.
"We've had special nights here over the years," Ireland international Carty told Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1.
"I think with the performances we gave last year, we're truly warranted to be back here.
"It's where you want to be. Obviously, we had two years of playing in the Challenge Cup. We're just delighted to be back. It's the big games you want to be playing.
"You can't get much bigger than the two we've coming up.
"Europe is a priority this year. We're a bit disappointed in how last week (v Leinster) went but we've quite a competitive group.
"Montpellier have internationals all over the park so it'll be a good test for us."
Follow Connacht v Montpellier on Sunday with our live blog on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News Now App and listen to live commentary on Radio 1's Sunday Sport
