LEICESTER go in search of more away points when they visit Newcastle in another Championship encounter on Sunday (6.30pm).
The Watling JCB Lions are top of the table with an unblemished home record and four points gained from tough trips to Eastbourne and Edinburgh.
They face a Diamonds side who have raced twice in the league so far, defeating Sheffield 52-38 at Brough Park but being beaten 53-37 by the Lions at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena last month.
And the home side’s last outing on their own circuit saw them edged out 46-44 by Glasgow in the Championship Shield a fortnight ago – their second defeat in the section on Teesside.
But with a strong heat-leader combination of Steve Worrall, Lasse Bjerre and Thomas Jorgensen, the Lions know they will again have to be at their best, at what was always something of a bogey venue during their previous stint at this level from 2011-13.
Lion Cubs rider Luke Ruddick stands in for the injured Jack Thomas at reserve, having scored 4+3 on his previous visit to Newcastle with Edinburgh.
Leicester boss Stewart Dickson said: “Obviously we want to go there and get at least a point, and it’s another technical track with long straights and tight bends.
“I’m not too sure that all of our riders like it, but we cannot have tracks where certain riders don’t feel comfortable. We have to cope with them all, and that’s what we’ll try to do.
“I know Newcastle lost at home last time, but they had a bit of misfortune with Steve Worrall blowing an engine in Heat 13 and then there was a crash in Heat 15.
“The minimum is a point, but when we’re there I will know after five or six races whether there’s a chance of getting more, and if I have to be ruthless with taking guys out then I will do it, because turning 3-3s into 4-2s can be crucial.
“They all know we want to win, but at the same time we’re not chastising any rider who’s having a difficult run. We emphasise every week it’s all eight of us together, not seven.
“I had a bad night with the track against Sheffield a few weeks ago, and some guys had a bad night against Edinburgh. The key to what we’re trying to do is to be together as a team, the big picture is reaching the play-offs and we’re in a decent position.”
NEWCASTLE: Steve Worrall, Simon Lambert, Lasse Bjerre, Matthew Wethers, Thomas Jorgensen, Max Clegg, Danny Phillips.
LEICESTER: Scott Nicholls, Connor Mountain, Josh Bates, Ryan Douglas, Richie Worrall, Luke Ruddick, Ellis Perks.
