Leinster can't afford to 'focus on five’ as they begin their Champions Cup campaign on Saturday, according to head coach Leo Cullen.

It’s more than three years since the Blues racked up their fourth European Cup title with a narrow win over Racing 92 in Bilbao.

Despite early promise in the following seasons, the four-in-a-row winners of the current United Rugby Championship (previously Pro14) have fallen short in the knock-out stages, twice to Saracens and once to La Rochelle.

They start their European adventure with an Aviva Stadium clash against bottom of the Premiership Bath, who have lost all nine league games, on Saturday before heading to Montpellier the following weekend.

Following Friday night's comprehensive win over Connacht, Cullen was asked if he believed that this season’s crop had the potential to claim that fifth star?

"That's what we hope every year, we can't look too far into the future," he said.

"We just need to concentrate on what's in front of us, we were poor last week and a bit better against Connacht.

"So for us it's focusing on getting better, improving our performance. We've had a very short week, the guys can freshen up over the weekend and have a good training week.

"We need a bit of cohesion as a group, to give ourselves the best chance in Europe in the first two weeks."

The competition’s structure was changed last year with just four pool games before the quarter-finals.

It’s a format that favours the team that starts strongly, said the former Ireland lock.

"The way the competition is set-up, it allows team to have a flier and Bath will come here looking at a fresh opportunity next week," he said.

"They've got good, young, talented players all across their team and plenty of experience thrown in as well.

"They're a team we need to make sure we prepare well for to give ourselves the best chance, because it's such a tricky format with just four pool games.

"With all the various challenges with Covid, disruptions etc that are potentially there - it's important we mind ourselves during the week and that it comes to it we're battling for every single point available.

"You never know how it will unfold."