Finn Russell, the Scotland fly-half, expects to face a wall of noise as he and his team-mates take on France this evening.

But he intends to silence the massed ranks of home fans at the Stade de France by leading the visitors safely through the first 20 minutes.

The 22-year-old will earn just his sixth cap against Les Blues as Vern Cotter's men kick off their Six Nations campaign in Paris. Three of his appearances have come on home soil, with last year's summer tour wins in Canada and the USA his only foreign exercises. But neither of those Tests came close to matching the atmosphere he can expect to come crashing down on him in Saint-Denis.

An 80,000-strong crowd is expected to cheer on Philippe Saint-Andre's men in their championship opener and Russell believes that emotions are likely to be further cranked up as Paris hosts its first major international sporting event since last month's terrorist attacks in the city.

Russell knows that the first strains of Les Marseillaise will signal the start of a French charge but if the Scots can survive the opening exchanges, he believes a hush could fall over the home crowd and their hopes of victory.

He said: "I've only had two games away from home but they are nothing compared to what my first Six Nations match will be like.

"Playing in front of 80,000 French supporters knowing what they are like will be another experience altogether.

"I'm really looking forward to it although I may be taken aback by it on the day.

"I know the crowd will get on my back but I see myself as being a bit different. The more stick they give me the better. I see it as a bit of fun.

"I know if I'm kicking or get on the ball I'm going to have all the jeers in the background. I'll take it all in and just pretend it's a training session. If I can do something good I'll see it as though I've got one over on them. Hopefully I can keep them all quiet."

He added: "With the recent attacks we can expect France as a country to come together. Saturday will be a big event for them and the crowd will come into it and play their part.

"I'd imagine it will be a sell-out so we will have 80,000 French supporters going hard at us for the first 20 minutes.

"I imagine it will be hard at the start of the match but I believe if we can soak all that up we can then take them back and have a crack from there. But that first 20 minutes will be key."

Scottish hopes are high following their encouraging autumn performances against Argentina, New Zealand - who they pushed all the way before losing out - and Tonga.

But their Parisian form book offers little encouragement.

Just two wins in the last 46 years - in 1995 and then again four years later - suggest there could be more disappointment this weekend.

Russell is well aware of the threats but still sees reason to optimistic.

"France are a team that one to 15 are just world class," he admitted. "If they turn up on the day they can beat anyone. They can be hot and cold but it's pretty clear they have done well against us at home - two wins in 46 years proves that. But hopefully it will be our year.

"They have a lot of weapons and we will have to be on our guard. The back three are very dangerous - Yoann Huget and Teddy Tomas can score from anywhere so we have to make sure we don't give them any loose kicks.

"Mathieu Bastareaud and Wesley Fofana have formed a good partnership in the centre. Bastareaud is a big guy and will be tough to take down. But I think with Mark Bennett and Alex Dunbar up against them, we will be able to create chances."

France captain Thierry Dusautoir insists Les Bleus are only worrying about themselves ahead of their championship opener.

The Scots have won in the French capital just twice in the last 46 years - firstly in 1995 and then again four years later. But France have had their own troubles of late. They took the competition's wooden spoon two years ago and their last match out against Argentina saw the Pumas put a dent in their fragile resurgence with a 18-13 win.

Now flanker Dusautoir has claimed this result will come down to what the hosts do - and not their guests.

"Given the imperatives and the two weeks we've had to get ready, I can say that we had the best possible preparation to face Scotland," said Dusautoir. "But during our preparation, we only focused on ourselves. The Scots have changed their coach and brought in Vern Cotter. He has given them confidence, you just have to see how they played against the All Blacks and beat Argentina.

"But we do not deal too much with our opponents. We have our track record, our progress to follow.

"Whatever the level of Scotland, we must win this game. Again, at the sight of recent years, we have not much to lose. In November, we showed beautiful things against Fiji and Australia before the Argentina defeat, and we must continue it. We must succeed in giving pleasure to our fans and people watching."

This year's Championship will be used as a barometer to gauge the form of the northern hemisphere sides going into the September's World Cup.

Dusautoir admits his side is eager to put a marker down ahead of another bid for that elusive first Webb Ellis Cup. He said: "We are aware that this is the last chance to impress before the announcement of the squad for the World Cup.

"It's been a while since the countdown started. The best way to prepare for the World Cup is to win our matches and garner trust. The three matches we play away from home will allow our young players to test themselves on the inherent pressure to matches in hostile terrain.

"I look forward to seeing how the team will behave in Ireland, Italy and England. In this tournament, we are challengers, we have not much to lose but everything to gain like confidence, experience. We must pounce on the competition."