PREVIEW: LEICESTER v SHEFFIELD (PREM KO CUP)

LEICESTER and Sheffield are set to battle it out for a place in the Premiership KO Cup Final at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park tonight (Thursday).

The Lions won 49-41 at Owlerton last week to put themselves back into contention for defending the silverware, and the northern group will now be decided back on their home track.

The winning team tonight will progress, whilst the Lions have a slight advantage in that a draw would also be enough for them.

Both sides are unchanged and their last meeting at Leicester was a hugely dramatic play-off semi-final last September which the Lions won by one point on aggregate.

Leicester boss Stewart Dickson said: “The result last week has given us a real chance of qualifying for the Final, but the words I’ll be ringing in the riders’ ears beforehand are that this isn’t over yet.

“We still have a job to do, and Sheffield will know if they come here and win they make the Final themselves which they will feel they are fully capable of doing.

“If we do our job as a team, just like we did last week, then I’m confident we should win and get through, but we have to be prepared for a tough fight.”

Tigers manager Simon Stead said: “Yes we were disappointed to lose at home last Thursday, but that’s gone now and we have to focus on this fixture.

“We’re going to need the lads to roll their sleeves up, dig in and come out fighting and we know what we’re capable of.

“We need to limit any last places, work for those heat advantages when we can and hopefully by the end of Heat 15 we’ll have done enough to get the win and put us through to that Final.”

LEICESTER: Ryan Douglas, Dan Thompson, Nick Morris, Kyle Howarth, Sam Masters, Drew Kemp, Joe Thompson.

SHEFFIELD: Jack Holder, Anders Rowe, Chris Holder, Leon Flint, Josh Pickering, Jye Etheridge, Luke Killeen.

SCB Referee: Phil Griffin

*LIVE STREAMING: https://www.leicesterlionstv.com/