Donal Lenihan believes Munster will have the extra firepower needed to overcome Connacht at the Sportsground on Saturday night and continue their progression towards the Guinness Pro14 final.
Johann van Graan's side are eight points clear of Connacht at the top of Conference B and will be aiming to strike a decisive blow against a side that stunned Leinster last time.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Lenihan highlighted Connacht's quality but expects Munster to have a little bit too much for their opponents.
"Connacht blow hot and cold at times but if you look, there are some real quality players playing in Connacht at the moment and their half-backs Caolin Blade and Jack Carty, in particular, were outstanding in that win against Leinster last week," he said.
"But Munster, in this conference, are eight points ahead of Connacht. If Munster win this one, then they're practically guaranteed to be in the Pro14 final because it pushes them too far ahead of everyone else in their conference.
"I think they'll bring back all the players who played in the incredible win over Clermont last time out, so I just think Munster might have that little bit too much, albeit Connacht with confidence and on a high, playing well - it's just a pity crowds won't be there."
Meanwhile, Leinster take on Ulster in the Friday night game as the reigning champions look to get back on track in Conference A.
Lenihan believes the loss of captain Iain Henderson and Jack McGrath will impact Ulster adversely.
"I think the problem for Ulster is their front five looks vulnerable for me and this is a game Jack McGrath and Iain Henderson are both out injured," he said.
"I just think that power up front might a bit too much for Ulster. I give the nod to Leinster in this one."
Follow Leinster v Ulster (7.35pm Friday) and Connacht v Munster (7.35pm Saturday) via our live blogs on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra and RTÉ Radio 1.
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