The Blues are currently eighth in the PRO12, with both seventh and eighth play-off places to qualify for the European Champions Cup.
Head coach Danny Wilson is determined to finish as high up the table as possible following the disappointment of last week’s defeat to Gloucester in the European Challenge Cup.
Four changes have been made to the side that took the field at Kingsholm, as Ellis Jenkins make his first start since January, replacing Nick Williams in the back row, who will start on the bench at his old stomping ground. The other change amongst the forwards sees Matthew Rees claim the number two jersey in place of the rested Kristian Dacey.
In the backline, Wales U20 full back Rhun Williams returns to the starting line-up for the first time since February, with Matthew Morgan named on the bench, while Willis Halaholo is reunited with midfield partner Rey Lee-Lo, replacing Steven Shingler at inside centre.
Ulster go into the game on the back of six consecutive championship victories, including a recent 27-17 win at Rodney Parade.
Ulster have named a strong side for the outing, with captain Rory Best returning to the starting line-up to take up his place at hooker.
Les Kiss also welcomes Roger Wilson and Paddy Jackson back into the starting XV, while Andrew Trimble is named on the bench following a spell out with a hand injury.
Jackson renews his partnership with Springbok Ruan Pienaar at half-back, while Kiss has also named an unchanged back three of Craig Gilroy, Charles Piutau and Jared Payne.
What They Said:
Danny Wilson has challenged his side to find more consistency in their performances, after seeing his side slip to a 46-26 defeat at Gloucester, despite leading 26-20 early in the second half.
Wilson also spoke insists Cardiff Blues’ focus is solely on Ulster for the time being, and will look towards next week’s derby clash with Ospreys at Judgement Day V after Friday’s clash.
"The frustration for us was built on how we got things right for 50 minutes, and look like we were in a controlling position and the scoreboard probably should be more in our favour, to a position where the scoreboard is very heavily against us.
"It's something we've got to toughen up with. Especially at Cardiff Blues, we've seen too many of those types where we can beat anyone on our day or lose to anyone on our day.
"In a game, we can have very strong periods, which then quickly turn into periods of negativity that we saw on the weekend. Ultimately it's about becoming more consistent and becoming mentally far tougher.
"We can go and string together some big results and get through some mentally tough periods. Recently at Edinburgh, we defended for nearly 20 phases at the end of the game to pinch an away win at a tough venue and then saw our defence collapse off first phase as it did on Saturday. No one's hiding away from that.
"We'll move. We've got Ulster this weekend, which is a massive game away from home, and another big challenge, and straight after that is the turnaround for Judgement Day V.
"We're coming off the back of a disappointing result in Europe, so we're fully focused on getting that right. We've trained well today, and we've got a very short week with training today and a team's run on Thursday, and then we're back out there.
"We'll meet at the end of this week to talk about the Ospreys, but for now it's about Ulster before moving on to an exciting week with an exciting build-up.”
Meanwhile, wing Blaine Scully is looking forward for the opportunity to bounce back from last week’s Europe exit, and is confident his side can cause problems for the hosts if they can correct the errors made at Kingsholm.
The USA international is also excited at the prospect of facing top quality opposition, such as the in-form Charles Piutau.
"The real cool thing about being an athlete is you get another opportunity the next week and I think for us that's really important," said Scully
"It's a chance for us to get back out there and focus on preparation and get all that right, then we'll go out on Friday night and just get into it.
"We'll take the lessons - the positives and stuff to work on - cause 50 minutes in that game was pretty positive. We've looked at some of the stuff we need to improve, fix and grow and I think we'll be able to transfer that onto the weekend.
"It goes back to our preparations and process and getting that right and then build on this weekend.
"It's going to require everything we've got because they're one of the best teams in the league and it's a great, tough place to go. We need to be there.”
"It will be my first time up in the Kingspan Stadium, and we're looking forward to that opportunity to compete.
"That's what it is every week - an opportunity to compete and demonstrate who we are and what we are as a team and try to get better every single week. That's the challenge for us as a team is to continue to improve.
"Piutau been one of the best players in the league. Anytime you get an opportunity to come up against the best, that's what you want as a competitor.
"I think there's still a lot to play for. There's plenty of opportunity to go out and compete and represent our club and region.”