Glasgow's players remain confident of making a winning start to the Heineken Cup despite injuries that have deprived them of the record points-scorer in the Magners League and the leading try-scorer in that competition this season.

Dan Parks, who had appeared to be returning to his best form after a wobble around the time he captured the scoring record, has not recovered from the knee injury that kept him out last week. “It's just a twist but if he got a bang on it at the moment, he could be out for three months, so it is not worth risking him,” Sean Lineen, the head coach, said. “That creates a great chance for Colin Gregor to show what he can do - a couple of seasons ago he was keeping Dan out of the team, and I think he is coming back to that sort of form. It's up to him now.”

Thom Evans, the wing, is also out after a clash of heads last week left him with a deep gash on his lip - serious enough to need plastic surgery. “It's a bad one. The plastic surgeon did a great job but this is just too early for him to risk opening it up again,” Lineen said. Hefin O'Hare, who scored against Munster last week after replacing Evans, gets the starting spot.

Apart from that, the key to getting the vital win at Newport Gwent Dragons, says Lineen, is to pick up where they left off last week in a game he described as the real start of Glasgow's European campaign. Playing Munster, the champions, in front of 20,000 fans at the reopening of their stadium was as intense and physical an experience as they can expect in the course of the campaign, and has given the players a taste of what is to come.

The Dragons have laid down the challenge, picking Colin Charvis, the former Wales captain and inspiration behind their comeback win against Newcastle Falcons in the EDF Energy Cup last week, as they try to maintain the momentum created through their last three matches, all victories. Glasgow can take heart, however, from winning their last two matches at the Welsh side's ground.

For Graeme Morrison in the Glasgow side, there is an extra reason for gunning for glory, because this is his 100th match for the club, coming a week shy of his 26th birthday. “The century of games is a matter of honour, but I have to put all those emotions to the side and concentrate,” Morrison said. “There have been games we could, and maybe should, have won this season but it is time to build each game. Last week was a performance we can be proud of and sets us up to go down to Newport and get our Heineken campaign off to a winning start.”

Newport Gwent Dragons: P Dollman; G Wyatt, R Sidey, M Stcherbina, R Fussell; J Arlidge, W Evans; A Black, T Willis (capt), R Thomas, A Jones, L Charteris, J Bearman, C Charvis, L Evans. Replacements: S Jones, A Coundley, G Webb, A Hall, R Lewis, S Connor, A Smith.

Glasgow: B Stortoni; L Fa'atau, M Evans, G Morrison, H O'Hare; C Gregor, M McMillan; J Va'a, D Hall, M Low, O Palepoi, A Kellock (capt), K Brown, J Barclay, J Beattie. Replacements: E Kalman, K Tkachuk, T Barker, S Swindall, A Henderson, R Jackson, R Vernon.

Referee: R Poite (France).