LEICESTER reach the midway point of their ROWE Motor Oil Premiership campaign when they visit third-placed Belle Vue on Monday.
The Watling JCB Lions are only one point adrift of Oxford, who have raced one more match, so can go above the Spires if they avoid defeat at the National Speedway Stadium.
But in order to do that they will require a major improvement on their performance at Ipswich last Thursday, and indeed on their previous visit to Manchester.
Lions lost 51-33 at the NSS in a weather-affected meeting in April, whilst on this occasion the forecast is for dry and hot conditions – which will also be good news for the Aces, who suffered a rare home defeat last time out in the rain against Sheffield.
Mark Lemon’s team then suffered their own disappointment on the road on Thursday, going down 54-36 in the return fixture against the Tigers at Owlerton, and they are currently racing without No.1 and captain Brady Kurtz.
The Australian has been absent from UK competition since suffering ankle damage in a crash in Poland last month, and the Aces operate the rider replacement facility.
For the Lions, Craig Cook withdrew from the away match at Ipswich after a heavy crash in Heat 6, but he was able to return with no ill effects for Workington in their home win over Scunthorpe on Saturday.
Cook takes his place against the Aces, with whom he rode extensively earlier in his career, but his reserve colleague Sam Hagon is ruled out after a crash at Berwick on Saturday which has left him with a facial injury.
In his place the Lions have booked Luke Killeen of Oxford Cheetahs and Chargers to guest at No.7.
Manager Stewart Dickson said: “It’s fair to say Belle Vue is not one of our happy hunting grounds, and although they’re weaker with no Brady Kurtz I’m not surprised they’ve gone with r/r because of their normal form there.
“We need to show a reaction to Thursday night. I think our next three meetings, with King’s Lynn coming up and then home to Sheffield, will make or break our season, that’s how I see it at the moment.
“Those three meetings could have a very big bearing over whether we’re going to be challenging for the top four.
“We need to stick together, and to be very careful that we don’t get ourselves stuck in a rut, and I include myself in that.
“It’s a collective thing, riders and management, and whilst we’re in a situation that we’re not accustomed to at Leicester, there’s no sympathy in this sport and it’s up to us to get ourselves out of it.”
BELLE VUE: Brady Kurtz r/r, Norick Blodorn, Jaimon Lidsey, Ben Cook, Dan Bewley, Connor Mountain, Connor Bailey.
LEICESTER: Max Fricke, Richard Lawson, Sam Masters, Luke Becker, Ryan Douglas, Craig Cook, Luke Killeen.
