LEICESTER bid to get back to winning ways when they host Rye House in the Premiership on Monday (7.30pm).
The Watling JCB Lions went down to a cruel last-heat defeat against champions Swindon last week, but have the chance to hit back against the Rockets in a fixture which produced high drama last season.
The Hoddesdon club’s two visits in 2017 resulted in one 46-44 win for either side, with the Lions’ success in August effectively scuppering their opponents’ late play-off bid.
That meeting boiled up to a sensational climax as the weakened Lions triumphed when former British Champion Chris Harris was disqualified from Heat 15 for bringing down Leicester’s Josh Bates.
Harris and fellow multiple national champion Scott Nicholls are back to lead the Rockets again this year, along with Poland’s former World No.2 Krzysztof Kasprzak who has started the new season in fine form.
Lions are at full strength, whilst Rye House operate rider-replacement for Edward Kennett (knee injury) in their top five.
They also have Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen – a key man in their home win over Wolverhampton last week – guesting for finger injury victim Stuart Robson at reserve.
Jakobsen is joined in that position by Max Clegg, one of two former Leicester riders in the Rockets’ team with 2016 Lions man Aaron Summers lining up at No.2.
Their away form this season has so far seen them suffer heavy defeats at both Wolverhampton and Belle Vue, but the Lions will be a wary of a backlash from riders who have performed well at the Paul Chapman & Sons Arena in the past.
Boss Simon Stead said: “I’ve got no doubts at all that we’ll come back stronger from the defeat last week.
“Our team has been unbalanced because of the injuries we’ve had to contend with, so naturally it’s going to take a little time to settle in, and it’s still very early days in the season.
“We’re going to see improvement from several areas. Kenneth (Bjerre) will have his own stuff here and TK (Todd Kurtz) has settled in well with us, so hopefully we’ve now got a balanced team and we’ll start to see the results.”
LEICESTER: Kenneth Bjerre, Kyle Newman, Danny King, Krystian Pieszczek, Hans Andersen, James Sarjeant, Todd Kurtz.
RYE HOUSE: Chris Harris, Aaron Summers, Krzysztof Kasprzak, Edward Kennett r/r, Scott Nicholls, Nikolaj B Jakobsen, Max Clegg.
