PREVIEW: LEICESTER v BIRMINGHAM (ROWE MOTOR OIL PREM)

LEICESTER host Birmingham in a Midlands derby at the Hydroscand Arena, Beaumont Park this lunchtime (Monday, midday) with the home side looking to bolster their top four place.

Four wins in five, including a surprise success at Ipswich last Thursday, have taken the Lions clear of the chasing pack, and they are scheduled to race twice on Monday as they also visit Sheffield this evening.

In contrast, it has been a tough campaign for the Brummies who ae scoreless in the ROWE Motor Oil Premiership, although one of their best performances came at Leicester in the KO Cup.

Lions star Sam Masters said: “I was stoked that we won at Ipswich. We’ve got a good bunch of boys here and it’s basically the same team as last year, so we know the drill.

“We all knew each other anyway and I think that’s why we did what we did last season, getting on with mates, and that brings points.

“It shows when you go to these away tracks that we all dig deep and have a good time and pick up some points on the road.”

Brummies CEO Nigel Tolley said: “We nearly pulled off an upset in the Knockout Cup when we went to Leicester at the start of the season, and the Brummies riders have already shown a liking for that place.

“But we expect the home riders to be a lot more dialled in at this stage and we know they’ll be on a high after winning at Ipswich. We’ll go there and give it our best, and what will be will be.”

LEICESTER: Max Fricke, Luke Becker, Ryan Douglas, Kyle Howarth, Sam Masters, Drew Kemp, Joe Thompson.
BIRMINGHAM: Tobiasz Musielak, Paco Castagna, Michael Jepsen Jensen r/r, Keynan Rew, Matej Zagar, Jonas Jeppesen, Jason Edwards.

SCB Referee: Chris Durno

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