NEWPORT Gwent Dragons skipper Andy Marinos hopes to shrug off a nagging hamstring injury in time to lead his side against Connacht at Rodney Parade on Sunday.

The match is the only Celtic League fixture of the weekend and Marinos describes Connacht as "kindred spirits."

The Sunday showdown will give the Irish province the chance to get back on track after their cruel exit from the Celtic Cup in last weekend's single-point semi-final defeat at the hands of Edinburgh in Galway.

"There are lots of comparisons that can be made between the Gwent Dragons and Connacht at the moment as we are both fighting to survive," said Marinos.

"Their defeat at the hands of Edinburgh is only going to make them even more determined when they come to play us.

"We know we're going to have a real fight on our hands to maintain our unbeaten home record."

Connacht destroyed the Neath-Swansea Ospreys on their last visit to Wales and will be hoping to repeat their 16-14 triumph of two seasons ago when they last visited Rodney Parade.

While Connacht are fighting for survival as a professional team, as the Irish RFU continues its review of their provincial structure, the Dragons have different problems.

Having gone into administration last week, they are set to shed five players as they slim down their squad.

But Marinos is adamant that the off-the-field difficulties will not affect the performances of his team on the pitch.

"Our biggest headache has been the board-room shenanigans that have gone on and it has been hard to keep the players focussed on the job in hand at times," admitted Marinos.

"(Coaches) Mike Ruddock and Clive Griffiths always said it would take six to eight weeks for us to come together as a side because we were all thrown together in the summer.

"They were exactly right and we are now growing together as a group.

"But it was like a knife going through your heart when we heard that some players would have to lose their jobs last week.

"They have put in so much hard work and effort since they joined in the summer, yet they have accepted their fate and continued to train as hard as ever with us.

"We will all be very, very sad to see them go."

Despite all the difficulties and uncertainties, the Dragons have managed to remain unbeaten at Rodney Parade in the Celtic League and rose to fourth with their comprehensive victory over the Cardiff Blues at the Arms Park.