EDINBURGH’S Michael Palm Toft says his team “can’t afford mistakes” against Glasgow.
The Stellar Monarchs and Allied Vehicles Tigers clash in the Cab Direct Championship play-off semi-finals at Armadale tonight, live on BSN.
It’s the biggest fixture between the sides since meeting at the same stage of the title race in 2021.
Palm Toft insists that no one should count out the home side. He said: “Glasgow will be very tough, we know how good they are as we have raced them a few times now. They ride Armadale well but so do we.
“We felt like we should have done better against them in the league so we need to have that attitude from the start, in the play-offs you can’t afford mistakes but we all know what we can do. All I am saying is, don’t write us off!"
Tigers boss Cami Brown says his side will go to Edinburgh “all guns blazing”.
He said: “The league championship is the big one. We’ve got to ride well to have a result, to make it a good chance in the second leg to get through. Because we want to be in that final.
“We want to try and push to that championship again. It’s going to be extremely difficult. All four teams in the play-offs are all very good.
“I expected Edinburgh to make the play-offs. And they duly did. They deserve their place. And we’ve got to treat them with complete respect.
“We’ll go there all guns blazing and try and get the right result. Obviously we’ll go there to try and win.
“We’ve got a very good record at Armadale in recent years. But they are a very solid side who know how to get results on their own track.
“The management and the riders always make it welcome there for us as well, which is really nice. Especially being such a big derby and we do the same when they come to our place.”
Glasgow go into the crunch clash without three riders; Dan Thompson, Villads Nagel (both in the SGP2 in Denmark) and Max Perry (arm injury) all miss out.
Brown added: “It’s not a situation we wanted obviously. We have to just suck it up and get on with it.
“We’ve got good guests in Nicolai Klindt, Simon Lambert and Dayle Wood. Hopefully that means we are just as strong and keeps us in with a chance.
“It’s going to be another huge occasion.”
STELLAR MONARCHS: Victor Palovaara, Paco Castagna (Capt.), Justin Sedgmen, Michael Palm Toft, Kye Thomson, Jonatan Grahn, Jordy Loftus.
ALLIED VEHICLES TIGERS: Chris Harris (Capt.), Simon Lambert (Guest), Nicolai Klindt (Guest), Leon Flint, Kyle Howarth, Dayle Wood (Guest), Freddy Hodder.
Stream live from 7pm here
Words by Holeshot Media.
Images by Taylor Lanning.