Stars chief feeling positive ahead of Knockout Cup clash with Leicester

The Stars were able to keep things tight in last week's 48-42 first-leg defeat, despite being without in-form skipper Robert Lambert.

And that has team boss Dale Allitt in positive mood ahead of the return.

'It was an absolutely amazing result in reality and it's given us a great chance of progressing,' Allitt said.

'We'll have to take Leicester very seriously though and the sooner we pull those points back the better so we can settle an existing nerves.

'We've been riding really well, particularly at home and it should be another good fixture at the Adrian Flux Arena.'

The Stars will be without Danish duo Niels-Kristian Iversen and Michael Palm Toft who are both required to race back in their home country.

Rider replacement will operate at number one while 2017 team member Josh Auty has been booked as a guest.

Leicester bring in flying ex-Star Rory Schlein for the unavailable Kenneth Bjerre while American charger Ricky Wells stands in for Hans Andersen.

Leicester were without their skipper Danny King for the first leg because of an arm injury, and there were doubts he would be fit in time for the return – but he is named in the Lions starting line-up.

Team manager Simon Stead admits his team are in for a tough night.

'We don't expect anything else,' he said. 'King's Lynn are a very good team so we have to be at our best to great anything out of that.

Stead says his team didn't take advantage of Lambert's absence in the first leg.

'I would have liked for it to be a bit more convincing as they were without Robert,' he said. 'We should have capitalised on that more and we didn't, but we know what we've got to do at King's Lynn now.'

King's Lynn: Niels-Kristian Iversen R/R, Josh Auty, Ty Proctor, Thomas Jorgensen, Robert Lambert, Kasper Andersen, Lewis Kerr.

Leicester: Rory Schlein, Kyle Newman, Ricky Wells, Danny King, Krystian Pieszczek, James Sarjeant, Todd Kurtz.