MAGNERS LEAGUE: SCARLETS V CARDIFF BLUES Venue: Parc y Scarlets Date: Saturday, 17 April Kick-off: 1830 BST Coverage: Live on S4C, score updates on BBC Sport website & highlights on Sunday's Scrum V
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Young wary of 'desperate' Scarlets
Star Cardiff Blues centre Jamie Roberts has told the Scarlets the pressure is on them in Saturday's crucial Magners League Welsh derby at Parc y Scarlets.
The hosts must win to keep alive their Heineken Cup hopes for next season.
But a Blues victory would guarantee Dai Young's side a place in the Europe's showpiece tournament in 2010-2011.
"It's a do-or-die game for them. If we win this weekend we qualify for Europe and they're really in trouble," said the Wales centre.
"It's huge, isn't it, especially for the Scarlets. I think it was mentioned earlier in the week that the pressure's on them really.
"It's a huge game for them and unfortunately for them they're coming off the back of defeat in Toulon."
That 38-12 defeat in France ended the Scarlets' Amlin Challenge Cup hopes, leaving them with only one route to top-fight European competition next season.
The Blues reached the semi-finals of Europe's second-tier tournament with a 55-20 win at Newcastle.
Ironically if the Blues win in Llanelli on Saturday for the first time in Magners League history, the Scarlets will then be relying on the Cardiff-based region to help their fellow Welsh side make next season's Heineken Cup.
The Amlin Challenge winners automatically gain Heineken Cup qualification and a Blues triumph would give Wales four teams in Europe's premier tournament next season.
However, Roberts believes the Scarlets are unfortunate to find their hopes for next season on the line on Saturday.
He believes they outplayed the Ospreys in the recent west Wales derby at Liberty Stadium, only to lose 27-19 to a late Tommy Bowe interception try.
The 2009 British and Irish Lions' player of the series in South Africa said: "I watched the Scarlets-Ospreys game a couple of weeks ago and the commitment from one to 22 in the Scarlets camp was phenomenal.
"I think they deserved to win that game and unfortunately lost it at the death, but defensively they're on the money.
"It's going to be very tough to break them down and they've got threat across the pitch.
"Stephen Jones controls and creates everything for them - he's a pivotal figure."
However, while Wales and Lions team-mate Jones may pull the strings, Roberts is relishing the midfield clash that sees he and New Zealander Casey Laulala face his international challenger Jonathan Davies and another highly-rated Kiwi in Regan King.
Roberts added: "It's a nice match-up. Myself and Casey are starting to gel and it's a great combination, hopefully.
"And it's the same with them.
Jon Davies is a very powerful player. I've been in Wales camp with him a couple of times and he's extremely strong and quite similar to myself
Jamie Roberts
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"He likes to get the team over the gain-line and he's very explosive.
"We'll certainly do our work this week and work him out and Regan King outside him - he's a very pretty player, he distributes the ball well and he's got great feet.
"So there's a good mix there. It's going to be very confrontational.
"Defensively we're going to have to be spot on and hopefully our attack will take care of itself."
Scarlets: Daniel Evans; Sean Lamont; Regan King, Jonathan Davies; Andy Fenby; Stephen Jones, Tavis Knoyle; Phil John, Ken Owens, Rhys Thomas, Lou Reed, Dominic Day, Josh Turnbull, Richie Pugh, David Lyons (c). Replacements: Deacon Manu, Emyr Phillips, Damian Welch, Rob McCusker, Martin Roberts, Rhys Priestland, Lee Williams.
Blues: Ben Blair; Leigh Halfpenny; Casey Laulala, Jamie Roberts; Chris Czekaj; Ceri Sweeney, Richie Rees; Gethin Jenkins, Gareth Williams, Taufa'au Filise, Deiniol Jones, Paul Tito (c), Maama Molitika, Martyn Williams, Xavier Rush Replacements: T Rhys Thomas, John Yapp, Bradley Davies, Sam Warburton, Lloyd Williams, Dai Flanagan, Dafydd Hewitt
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