Champions Cup: Bath v Racing 92 - Premiership side face 'biggest European challenge', says boss
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Fly-half Finn Russell will face his former side for the first time when Bath host Racing 92
Bath face their "biggest European challenge" when they take on Racing 92 in the Investec Champions Cup, says head of rugby Johann van Graan.
The Premiership side are unbeaten in the competition so far, with two wins from two games.
Three-times finalists Racing lead France's Top 14 but are yet to win in Europe this season after losses to Harlequins and Ulster.
"It will be massive for us," Van Graan told BBC Radio Bristol.
"At the start of this competition Bath hadn't won a game in Europe for a very long time and we are two out of two.
"We know we've got a challenge ahead. We're coming up against a team that have done exceptionally well in the Top 14, a team that has real European experience and a team that I've coached a lot against when I was at a different club, and we've had some fascinating battles."
Racing 92 reached the Champions Cup final in 2016, 2018 and 2020 and boast a squad led by former England coach Stuart Lancaster packed with world-class talent, including World Cup-winning South Africa captain Siya Kolisi and France centre Gael Fickou.
The game will mark the first time Bath fly-half Finn Russell has faced his former club since leaving at the end of last season.
"If you look at the way they score most of their tries it's how do you deal with their size and their power, and they've got some of the world's best players in their team," Van Graan said.
"Siya is a player I have spent a considerable amount of time with and he's one of the most iconic players in world rugby at this stage, being the captain that's won the World Cup twice. [I have the] utmost respect for him as a human being.
"It's brilliant for our guys to play against players like himself, but they've got so many threats across their team and so many world class players."
Bath beat Cardiff Rugby in their last Champions Cup outing in December
Bath became the first English team to win the top tier European competition in 1998 but last reached the knock-out stages in 2014-15.
A win against Racing 92 would secure a home tie in the round of 16.
Under Van Graan, Bath have emerged as Premiership title challengers this season and sit third in the league table, with seven wins from their 11 games.
Van Graan praised his squad's discipline - they conceded just four penalties in their recent win over Gloucester - and said that would be key against Racing.
"The focus is totally on ourselves, recognising that Racing might have one or two magic moments, but we're going to back the way that we play and starting with our game, we do not want to give them access to our half," he said.
"Hopefully we can win the field position battle and then we've got some of the world's best players in our team now and we are looking to get better this week.
"We're looking for a team performance and we're looking for the crowds of The Rec to get involved on Sunday."