McCusker and co currently sit top of the PRO12 table with three wins from three attempts, while reigning champions the Ospreys have yet to pick up a win so far this season.
Those stats mark a pleasant turnaround for the Llanelli-based region who have had to watch on enviously as the Ospreys collected three Celtic crowns in the years that followed the Scarlets’ own solitary triumph back in 2004.
“The pressure is all on us – they have got nothing to lose and that makes them very dangerous opposition,” said McCusker, who will start at No8 at Parc y Scarlets on Friday.
“We spoke on Monday and said we have got to be afraid of losing. Being top of the league means we are now the scalp everybody wants.
“We have been in the position the Ospreys are in over the last couple of years and we know how it feels.
“There is no better way to get your season back on track than with a win over your local rivals.”
The Scarlets began their PRO12 campaign with a huge victory over Heineken Cup holders Leinster and have since backed that up with wins on the road at Glasgow and Connacht as they demonstrated the consistency new boss Simon Easterby called for in pre-season.
And while the seven-try hammering of the Europe’s best team may be the stand-out memory so far, it is the mental strength shown away from home that has pleased McCusker the most.
The Wales back rower believes his side have shown an increased maturity before, during and after games this term, something he hopes will help them challenge for silverware in the spring.
“Glasgow and Connacht are probably games we would have lost in previous seasons,” added McCusker.
“We have shown resilience and a confidence in what we are capable of.
“We have a great analysis team and we are able to see pictures at half-time and put things right. If we didn’t have answers for stuff it would be a different story, but we have plenty of access to things in the locker and we are able to pull them out at the right time.
“We are also ultra critical of ourselves when we come in on a Monday. You almost feel as if you have lost at the weekend because we are ripping into ourselves, as it were.
“That’s what it takes to get the best out of everybody.”
