Glasgow are five points behind this Friday's visitors Ulster, who are currently second, but a win, given their game in hand, would boost their hopes of finishing in the top two.
And head coach Townsend admits everything from the importance of the fixture on the league table to the recent spell of good weather means the visit of Ulster should be an entertaining one.
"It's been cracking weather all week and the forecast is for it to be sunny all day, the pitch is in great shape and we've got two very competitive teams in really good form so we're hoping for a big crowd here," said Townsend.
"It's probably our biggest game of the season. We're playing another team who are sitting above us in the league who are also very keen to get a win to stay in the top four and we can't wait."
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