Nothing less than a massive victory at the league leaders will do for King's Lynn Stars tonight if they are to keep their faint play-off hopes alive.

Rob Lyon takes on the role of Tom Cruise in the Norfolk Arena club's version of Mission: Impossible as they prepare for their penultimate Elite League fixture at Birmingham Brummies. And his men need to pull off the unthinkable this week if they are to somehow, somehow, gatecrash the top four and qualify for the end-of-season shoot-out.

Lynn must win by at least seven or more this evening, and in the return at Saddlebow Road on Friday, to pick up maximum-points victories and join Poole Pirates on 46. But that doesn't even begin to tell half of the story in a three-way dogfight for the last play-off position.

Because the Stars also need to beat the Brummies across both fixtures by a combined total of more than 70 to improve their -14 points difference and leapfrog the south coast giants. And even if they match their biggest victory since returning to British speedway's top-flight in 2011 – a 65-30 annihilation of Lakeside Hammers – on two seperate occasions, they are still not guaranteed a place in the promised land.

The fifth-placed Hammers know that if Lynn pull off two miracle results, starting at Perry Bar, they can end their dreams by beating reigning champions Swindon Robins by at least seven tomorrow to pick up all four league points and move themselves onto an uncatchable total of 47.

Peterborough Panthers, seventh, can't catch Poole but can still finish above their A47 rivals.