The Ospreys have lost their previous five encounters against Wayne Pivac’s men but the last three meetings have been decided by a mere three points or less. But Sherratt insists the home crowd could have a big bearing on the result.
“Home advantage does give you an extra edge but I’m sure they’ll bring a decent travelling support as well,” he said.
“Hopefully if it is a tight game that home advantage pulls us through. We’ve had two days training so far this week and you can feel a different edge on the Monday of a derby week where the boys are a little more tuned it.
“The Scarlets are favourites because over the last two season’s they’ve won the PRO12, gone to a PRO14 final and reached a Champions Cup semi-final. They’ve also managed to beat us on the last five occasions we’ve played so they are clear favourites.
“But it’s at the Liberty Stadium and we are looking forward to it.”
The Ospreys are hopeful that Dan Lydiate will be fit after pulling out of Wales’ Under Armour Series victory over South Africa with an elbow injury.
Despite labelling the Scarlets as clear favourites Sherratt insists form does not count for much in local derbies.
“Form goes out of the window in derbies and I’ve never coached in a derby which has gone to form,” he said.
“It’s always pretty tight especially early on. They’ve played in the Champions Cup against a good Ulster team.
“I think form has been pretty consistent between the both of us. Having Dan Lydiate back in contention is a massive boost for us because he will bring a lot of experience.
“Derbies are pretty tight affairs so you need as much experience as you can on the pitch. Dan had a very good start to the season and played fantastically well for Wales.”
