Edinburgh Monarchs v Kings Lynn Stars

What can you say about this Friday night's fixture (7.30 start) between what Monarchs officials are describing as their 'dream team' and what King's Lynn fans might regard as their 'nightmare team' after an uncharacteristically troubled season?

Monarchs have become accustomed to having to travel to Norfolk for the second leg of cup ties with the Stars, but this time they did so for the first leg ? and pulled off the most sensational result of the season so far. Has it killed off the return match as a spectacle? ? definitely not!

Monarchs may have a 22-point lead which should prevent even their generous habit of gifting points to the opposition at Armadale from getting in the way of their progress into the next round. But Stars' pride has been sorely wounded and they have already started the process of changing their side.

Their biggest blow ? and one of the factors which led to such a disastrous defeat in front of their own fans - has been the season-ending injury sustained by No.1 Kevin Doolan who would surely have been expected to score double figures at both the Norfolk Arena and the Scotwaste Arena.

Rider replacement for the Aussie star just doesn't seem even a halfway adequate substitution for his scoring power. So his counterpart, Flyin' Ryan Fisher will be looking to go one better than his four out of five perfect rides last week. And of course he has a new partner at No.2 in place of Tobias Busch.

Kalle Katajisto finally slots into the top five and his opposite number should be Chris Mills, so Kalle should be expected to be a match for the rider who had a spell with Sheffield in 2009. Kozza Smith is listed at No.3 to face off against Kevin Wolbert, the young German who needs to return to top form for the League title run-in.

Young Joe Haines was expected to be at No.4, but it has been announced that he has been released, obviously paying the price for the Stars' slump in form. His place can be taken by a guest up to nearly seven and a half points. So Matthew could have his hands full to match the mystery guest.

The most exciting match-up should be between the two No.5's, Tomas Topinka and Andrew Tully. The Chech rider is capable of scoring heavily just about anywhere and Andrew had an up-and-down time last Friday with two heat wins, two exclusions for falls and a zero on his scorecard.

The latest Monarchs reserve, Arlo Bugeja, gets another chance to impress on his new home track but might find the young Danish rider Casper Wortmann a bit of a handful. He also has a new partner at reserve making a welcome return to the side as Monarchs brace themselves for a big finish to the season.

The 'Auchterarder Express', William Lawson, returns to the blue and gold after a few months getting valuable experience riding for a variety of clubs. He now has a full set of race jackets for the 'Scottish' clubs as a Monarch, a Tiger and a Bandit, and his most recent outings have been with Elite League Belle Vue.

His opposite number would in normal circumstances have been Darren Mallett who was turning in good performances. However it has also been announced that he has been re-admitted to hospital with a kidney infection. So there will be another new face at No.7 for the unlucky Stars.

How fortunes have changed since King's Lynn dented Monarchs Premier League chances early on by winning convincingly 49-41 at Armadale. Even a repeat score would be well short of turning this tie on its head. But it should still be a fascinating contest.

There are two teams whose fortunes have been heading in opposite directions, a sprinkling of new riders and lots of positional switches. The Lynn riders will be racing for pride and their team places. Monarchs will be looking for another dominant display ? and a big pay night. Don't miss it!

Probable line-ups:

SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Ryan Fisher, Kalle Katajisto, Kevin Wolbert, Matthew Wethers, Andrew Tully, Arlo Bugeja, William Lawson.

KING?S LYNN ROGER WARNES TRANSPORT STARS: Rider replacement for Kevin Doolan, Chris Mills, Kozza Smith, Guest for Joe Haines, Tomas Topinka, Casper Wortmann, Guest for Darren Mallett.