De Luca aiming to upset odds

Dumfries-born De Luca, 23, admits he was pleased to see Queen of the South reach the Scottish Cup Final against the odds after recording a shock 4-3 win over Aberdeen last weekend.

Now he is aiming to return to first team duties with Edinburgh after a lay-off with an ankle injury to prevent Leinster from being crowned title winners on Friday night.

De Luca said: "Although I'm not a big football fan, it was really pleasing to see Queen of the South reach the Scottish Cup Final; that type of result is what sport is all about.

"Nobody really gave them a chance against Aberdeen, but they showed what they were capable of by producing an inspiring performance.

"We now face Leinster, who are the runaway leaders in the Magners League and after our recent run of results we may be seen as an outside bet to win our final home match.

"But we proved that we can beat them after our Heineken Cup win over their full-strength side in December and we will be looking to repeat that achievement on Friday."

De Luca was forced to watch from the stands as Edinburgh lost the 1872 Challenge Cup decider against Glasgow last weekend.

And the Scotland international admits that disappointment has fuelled his desire to resume competitive action to ensure Edinburgh finish their final home match with a positive result.

He added: "It was frustrating not to be able to do anything when such an important game was taking place.

"I've been fortunate enough to have not missed many Edinburgh games so far this season and I am desperate to get back on the pitch to ensure we finish on a high note."