Edinburgh Monarchs v Ipswich Witches

For once, Monarchs have the second leg of a cup tie at home so they know exactly what they have to do to progress to the KO Cup Final, and that’s to beat Ipswich by more than 20 points at Armadale this Friday (7.30).

This is a probably a bigger task than expected because Edinburgh have tended to struggle more often than not on the road this season. But if the return of Craig Cook and Jozsef Tabaka means a return to the team’s devastating home form, a 56-34 scoreline is well within their grasp.

Despite having enjoyed some excellent guests, Monarchs fans will be delighted to have their talisman Craig Cook back in his customary No.1 position where he faces Ipswich born and bred Leigh Lanham who had a very quiet night here a month ago.

Fast starting Derek Sneddon at No.2 is sure to improve on his night of ill fortune in that league match. However it won't be easy since across the pits he faces the young Danish rider who won three times on his way to top scoring for the Witches on their last visit, Morten Risager.

The highly popular Theo Pijper has exceeded expectations on his return to the blue and gold this season and this week he faces the lively Taylor Poole, a young Australian who is capable of putting a dent in Monarchs' chances of progressing.

It looked as though something had lit a fire under Matthew Wethers last week as he turned in one of his most impressive performances of the season last Friday. More of the same would be most welcome this week. Ipswich operate R/R at No.4 for Dakota North.

When Edinburgh hit 60 points, inevitably Andrew Tully has a big night, so Monarchs fans will be hoping to see him at his most dominant against another young Australian, Rohan Tungate who found the Scotwaste Arena difficult on his previous visit.

Edinburgh lost out by 8 to 0 at No.6 in the league match when Matt Tressarieu had a big pay night at the expense of an off-colour Micky Dyer. With Joszef Tabaka back and fit again, Monarchs will be looking for the tables to be turned.

Excellent young National League star James Sarjeant guests for Monarchs at No.7 where he faces the British newcomer with the Danish father, Stefan Neilsen who probably doesn't list the Scotwaste Arena among his favourite tracks so far.

Ipswich surprisingly kept the scores close on their Premier League visit, so they will arrive full of confidence. But Edinburgh seriously under-performed on that occasion and will be looking for a fast start and a strong all-round team performance.

Twenty points is a big deficit, but if Monarchs can seriously reduce this before the visitors get used to the track, they are more than capable of blowing the Witches away as they did to lots of teams when they were at the top of their game before injuries intervened.

This is now the best, if not the only chance of silverware for both sides this year so neither will be holding back. It's sure to be a nail-biter with every point being so valuable. All that adds up to a real treat for the fans, so get there in plenty of time for the 7.30 start.

Likely line-ups:

SCOTWASTE MONARCHS: Craig Cook, Derek Sneddon, Theo Pijper, Matthew Wethers (capt.), Andrew Tully, Jozsef Tabaka, James Sarjeant (guest).

IPSWICH WITCHES: Leigh Lanham, Morten Risager, Taylor Poole, rider replacement for Dakota North, Rohan Tungate, Matt Tresarrieu, Stefan Nielsen.