PREVIEW: EDINBURGH v OXFORD (C-KOC)

EDINBURGH face a major catch-up bid as they go into the second leg of their KO Cup tie with Oxford tonight (Friday) with an 18-point deficit.

The Cheetahs won 54-36 at Cowley on Wednesday and will be confident of progression to the semi-finals, although heat leader Lewis Kerr misses the Armadale trip due to concussion.

Oxford have moved to bring in Justin Sedgmen to guest for Kerr, whilst former Edinburgh racer Richie Worrall stands in for the injured Josh Pickering – and the meeting also marks a return to his old home track for Cheetahs No.1 Sam Masters.

Edinburgh boss Alex Harkess said: “I expected a lot more from our team at Oxford, we’ve certainly made it tough.

“We are so inconsistent – we were OK on our opening weekend and at Berwick, but very poor last week at home and at Oxford. I will be demanding much better on Friday.”

Cheetahs boss Peter Schroeck said: “Edinburgh is a specialist track, but we have riders in our team who enjoy racing at Armadale. Sam speaks for himself and perhaps has more knowledge of the track than any other rider in the country.

“It’ll be a challenge for Luke (Killeen) and Henry (Atkins) at reserve but in the last week they’ve really stepped up to the task and we’re thrilled with their progress.

“We want silverware this season, and making such a positive start to the KO Cup has really fuelled the fire within to achieve our on-track ambitions this season.”

EDINBURGH: Richie Worrall, Lasse Fredriksen, Kye Thomson, Paco Castagna, Craig Cook, Kyle Bickley, Jacob Hook.
OXFORD: Sam Masters, Cameron Heeps, Justin Sedgmen, Jordan Jenkins, Scott Nicholls, Henry Atkins, Luke Killeen.

*LIVE STREAMING: https://www.edinburghmonarchs.co.uk/emtv