GREGOR TOWNSEND knows Glasgow will face a vastly-improved Ulster team at Scotstoun tonight.

But the Warriors head coach has warned their play-off semi-final rivals that they are not the only team who have more to give in the pursuit of final slot.

The Belfast side made 12 changes to their starting XV for the showdown at Scotstoun last weekend in what was the final game of the regular GUINNESS PRO12 season.

It was a reshuffle which failed to pay off on the day as Glasgow raced away with a 32-10 bonus-point win.

Ulster head coach Neil Doak yesterday announced 11 alterations to that team for tonight with 10 internationalists returning to bolster his ranks.

Yet while they will be a far more formidable force this time round, Townsend told SportTimes that his Warriors will be more than ready for them.

He said: "The place will be jumping again tonight. It was a great atmosphere in the build up last weekend and after the game so we are looking for the fans to generate a similar level of noise.

"This means far more than last week's game and whoever loses doesn't get to play in the PRO12 final which is a great occasion.

"We know Ulster will be stronger but we have got a bit of improvement to come as well and that's what we are working hard to do this week."

Townsend added: : "It will be a big challenge facing one of the best sides in Europe for the second time in a week and it's knock-out rugby now so we know what's at stake.

"We've had some epic battles with Ulster over the last few seasons and they'll be eager to reverse the scoreline from last week.

"We expect to be playing in front of another sell-out crowd at Scotstoun for a place in another final and everyone at the club is really looking forward to the match."

The Warriors head coach also makes changes to his starting line-up, however he has limited it to just two.

Coming into the side which started the win over Ulster last Saturday is scrum-half Henry Pyrgos and after being named McCrea Financial Services Player of the Season at the club's Awards Dinner on Wednesday, Niko Matawalu moves from scrum-half to the left wing in place of Sean Lamont.

Townsend spoke earlier in the week to SportTimes about the nominees for this year's gong, which included Peter Horne, Josh Strauss, DTH van der Merwe, Tommy Seymour and Jonny Gray among the candidates.

However, given the campaign his men have had, and the rewards they could yet reap if tonight goes to plan and they make it into the final in Belfast later this month, he confessed it was a difficult choice getting the short list down to just six.

He said: "When we were talking about putting a short list together we started with a lot more names to six and we were trying to get it down to three or four but couldn't manage it.

"There could have been a few others added to that group. The players have really stood up this year.

"They've shown a lot of improvement and some of them have been consistent right throughout the year, including in some really big games, and that's been crucial for this campaign and what we looked at above everything else."