Wolves aiming to bounce back

Wolves will hope to get back to winning ways tonight as they visit Swindon in the Elite League.

The side looked shaky on a difficult track surface at Monmore on Monday as the Lakeside Hammers beat them 49-41, but both Niels Kristian Iversen and Fredrik Lindgren appeared optimistic of the Wolves' chances at the pacy Blunsdon circuit.

The two heat leaders will be looking for an extra turn of speed and also to avoid injury, as both will begin the Grand Prix season at Krsko, Slovenia on Saturday night.

Kenneth Hansen will hope for big improvements after scoring a duck against the Hammers on Monday, and the Dane picked up just a couple of points in a challenge match at Malilla in Sweden on Tuesday night.

The same meeting saw Lindgren score 11 from five rides.Swindon will be led again by perennial Blunsdon favourite Leigh Adams, while Australians Troy Batchelor and Travis McGowan and young English hotshot James Wright are sure to prove a threat.

The Wiltshire track is an almost total contrast to Monmore Green, with long straights and wide, banked turns leading to some of the highest speeds seen in the Elite League. The Robins currently head the league table, and took a fine win at Belle Vue on Monday, so the Wolves are set for a tough contest - although, with new rules meaning that an away win scores three league points, the incentive is there.

Tapes go up at 7.30pm.

Wolves: Fredrik Lindgren, Ales Dryml, Niels Kristian Iversen, Kenneth Hansen, David Howe, Christian Hefenbrock, Nicolai Klindt.

lBirmingham are through to the quarter-finals of the Premier League Knockout Cup despite their 47-43 home defeat by Glasgow on Wednesday night.

The BRC Roofing Brummies, still badly depleted by injuries, were thankful for their 12-point cushion from the first leg in Scotland. Skipper Jason Lyons and teenage sensation Adam Roynon scored 30 points between them but there was no joy for new signing Mattia Carpanese at reserve as he failed to trouble the scorers on his debut.

He touched the tapes in his opening ride and went off a 15-metre handicap and was never in a position to recover from that setback.

The lead switched between the teams with Lyons riding superbly in heat 12 to overcome Josh Grajczonek and Trent Leverington.

But Glasgow's key moment came in heat 14 when Chris Schramm, Birmingham's guest rider, retired on the first lap, Mills and Grajczonek taking full advantage.