THURSDAY’S PREMIERSHIP TEAM NEWS + FORM GUIDE

IPSWICH will once again be without German star Erik Riss for their home Premiership clash with Sheffield on Thursday.

Riss has been treated for a vital infection which has caused him to miss the Witches’ last two matches, but the match against the Tigers at Foxhall has come too soon and the home side will operate rider replacement.

Sheffield are without Tobiasz Musielak due to a broken collarbone, and former Witches racer Scott Nicholls has been booked to guest.

IPSWICH: Jason Doyle, Keynan Rew, Danny King, Erik Riss R/R, Emil Sayfutdinov, Danyon Hume, Joe Thompson.
SHEFFIELD: Jack Holder, Kyle Howarth, Adam Ellis, David Bellego, Scott Nicholls, Lewis Kerr, Dan Gilkes.

The Tigers have won two of their four visits to Foxhall since returning to the Premiership, although the most famous recent clashes between the clubs were in the closing stages of the 2017 season.

Sheffield took the Championship league title in the Grand Final, with the Witches subsequently securing some consolation in the KO Cup.

21/07/22 – Ipswich 54 Sheffield 36
16/05/22 – Ipswich 43 Sheffield 47
09/08/21 – Ipswich 41 Sheffield 49
27/05/21 – Ipswich 51 Sheffield 39
07/06/18 – Ipswich 50 Sheffield 40 (Champ)
13/10/17 – Ipswich 55 Sheffield 35 (KOC Final)
30/09/17 – Ipswich 44 Sheffield 46 (Champ GF)
12/07/17 – Ipswich 52 Sheffield 38 (Champ)
25/03/17 – Ipswich 52 Sheffield 41

Meanwhile Leicester name an unchanged team and riding order for their home clash with Belle Vue at the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena, Beaumont Park.

Aces skipper Brady Kurtz misses the meeting due to a rearranged fixture in Poland, with former Lions racer Ryan Douglas coming in to guest for the visitors.

LEICESTER: Max Fricke, Justin Sedgmen, Richard Lawson, Chris Harris, Nick Morris, Jake Allen, Dan Thompson.
BELLE VUE: Dan Bewley, Norick Blodorn, Tom Brennan, Charles Wright, Ryan Douglas, Jaimon Lidsey, Jake Mulford.

The sides last met in the East Midlands in August 2018 when Leicester recorded a big home victory, but the Aces did enjoy a run of success at the venue in the two seasons prior to that.

13/08/18 – Leicester 58 Belle Vue 32
28/05/18 – Leicester 47 Belle Vue 43
19/08/17 – Leicester 40 Belle Vue 50
17/06/17 – Leicester 41 Belle Vue 49
18/06/16 – Leicester 43 Belle Vue 47
09/04/16 – Leicester 41 Belle Vue 52
20/06/15 – Leicester 52 Belle Vue 40
11/04/15 – Leicester 50 Belle Vue 40
05/07/14 – Leicester 56 Belle Vue 36
03/05/14 – Leicester 50 Belle Vue 43