LEICESTER return to the scene of one of their best results of the season when they travel to Ipswich in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership on Monday (7.30pm).
In fact, the Watling JCB Lions’ 47-43 win at Foxhall on May 22 was their last away fixture, and they will be eager for a repeat performance to build on the momentum they have picked up at home of late.
Lions sit fourth in the league standings, five points behind the Witches who are second, but crucially five points ahead of King’s Lynn who are their only realistic rivals for a play-off place.
Leicester have a match in hand on the Stars, who have been in good form themselves of late but they also have a tough away match at Belle Vue on Monday.
When the Lions won in Suffolk last month, Luke Becker was their top scorer with 12+1 and they came upon a Witches site who were suffering something of an injury crisis.
Now the tables are turned somewhat with Becker ruled out, and rider replacement will again be in operation at No.2 for the visitors.
Meanwhile Ipswich have named a full-strength side with Jason Doyle and Dan Thompson both having made comebacks from recent injuries, although recent days have given them some other causes for concern.
Thompson’s reserve colleague Jordan Jenkins crashed when racing for Oxford in the Championship on Wednesday and missed the Cheetahs’ subsequent trip to Scunthorpe 48 hours later, whilst skipper Danny King crashed out at Berwick on Saturday and was withdrawn with a wrist injury.
Lions manager Stewart Dickson said: “Ipswich will be gearing up for Leicester because they know we won there last time.
“Obviously we’re missing our top scorer from that meeting, but rider replacement is serving us well and we go there full of hope.
“It’s a free hit, so we’ll see how we get on, we want to take it and see what happens.
“We need to keep putting points in the table at home, which gives us the chance for aggregate points, but our away form has been good so far and hopefully that can continue on Monday.”
The trip to Ipswich is followed by the re-arranged KO Cup semi-final at Sheffield on Thursday where Leicester will defend an 18-point lead from the first leg.
IPSWICH: Emil Sayfutdinov, Danny King, Adam Ellis, Tom Brennan, Jason Doyle, Dan Thompson, Jordan Jenkins.
LEICESTER: Max Fricke, Luke Becker r/r, Ryan Douglas, Kyle Howarth, Sam Masters, Drew Kemp, Joe Thompson.
