LEICESTER kick off a massive Easter weekend with a Good Friday trip to Scunthorpe in their first away Championship match of the season (5pm).
The Watling JCB Lions have enjoyed a terrific start to the campaign, but things are about to get much tougher with the Eddie Wright Raceway clash to be followed by the visit of title favourites Poole to the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena on Saturday.
Leicester enjoyed a tremendous record at Scunthorpe in 2021, winning on all three of their visits – but Ryan Douglas, who scored heavily in all of those meetings, is now back with the Scorpions.
And after a big Lions win when the sides met earlier this month, boss Stewart Dickson knows the task is likely to be far more difficult in Lincolnshire.
Dickson said: “I think Scunthorpe have been waiting for this fixture since last year, and I know they’re really determined – they are gunning for us.
“They had a practice on their own track last week, which is something that wasn’t lost on me, because they do know the threat of Leicester.
“Obviously we’re a different team to what we were last year with Ryan Douglas in our team, and he was one of the reasons why we turned them over three times there.
“But we’re certainly going there with the intention of getting something for sure. We have a good record there, and the riders who we’ve brought in for this year can also get round there.
“I’m pretty sure they will be well fired up because of the fact that we were the only team to beat them there last year, so we expect a tough night, but it should be a good meeting.
“We then have the first of three big home fixtures in the remainder of April, with Poole very much built the same way as us, and with a good weather forecast that should be a cracker.”
Lions are unchanged from their big home wins so far this season, whilst the Scorpions include a second 2021 Leicester rider in Zaine Kennedy.
SCUNTHORPE: Ryan Douglas, Simon Lambert, Jordan Palin, Jake Allen, Tero Aarnio, Ryan Kinsley, Zaine Kennedy.
LEICESTER: Nick Morris, Connor Mountain, Dan Thompson, Richie Worrall, Kyle Howarth, Anders Rowe, Joe Thompson.
