Manchester Thunder head to Bath in round six of the Superleague.
Traditionally, this away trip to play the Somerset side has proven to be quite a test for Thunder in previous seasons.
And head coach Karen Greig expects this one to be no different.
“Bath have units that have played together for a long time now – they are always a tough test,” she said.
“We know it’s going to be a physical battle in our shooting circle but we have prepped for this.
“They also have great speed in the centre court but we will need to make sure we shut them out early.”
Preparations
Thunder travel to Bath after an unexpected break, following the cancellation of their last fixture against Celtic Dragons, which fell victim to the adverse weather.
But although Greig concedes this has slightly hindered her side’s preparations, they are ready to keep their unbeaten run intact – and in turn ruin Bath’s.
Greig added: “It’s not been ideal as we didn’t get to train last week due to the weather either, so coming back in we had to pick up momentum. But we soon got back into the swing of things.
“We’ve had a couple of really good, productive sessions and the squad is ready to go hard again.”
Thunder have enjoyed a relatively solid start to their 2018 campaign, but their performances have not been at the level expected of them.
All four victories were tightly contested with two – against Severn Stars in the opening weekend and Loughborough Lighting last time out – could easily have ended up as losses.
Consistency
Greig is hoping to see a more consistent performance from her players over all four quarters.
A sharper and more controlled start to the match is also a part of Thunder’s game needing improvement.
Greig said: “We need a strong start as this is something that has eluded us so far. We have looked at our match warm up and adapted where necessary and I’m hoping that strong start will come.
“We have played some really good stuff and at times blown our opposition away, but it just hasn’t been consistent enough. We need to play strong four quarters and not fade.”
Thunder play Team Bath at 7.30pm TONIGHT (March 9) and the match is LIVE on Sky Sports Mix from 7.15.
We’ll also be tweeting the game live over at @thundernetball