SWINDON ROBINS go seeking their sixth league win in a row when they visit Cowley Stadium tonight.

They face their oldest adversaries Oxford Cheetahs looking to hand out another caning to their A420 neighbours the third of the season.

The Pebley Beach Swindon Robins came out on top in both challenge matches between the two sides at the beginning of the season.

Robins though will have to go into tonight's meeting without their full 1-7 declared squad for the umpteenth time in recent weeks.

This time around they will be missing Russian rider Renat Gafurov. The 23-year-old crashed heavily in a World Team Cup event in Latvia at the weekend and is currently detained in hospital in Rybnik, Poland, with back and head injuries and is not expected to be released until Sunday at the earliest.

As the new green sheet averages for 2006 do not come into force until June 1 Gafurov is still classed as a second string rider tonight, but drops down to reserve on Thursday.

Tonight therefore under the regulations team boss Alun Rossiter can only use rider replacement to cover for the absent Russian.

That means only Sebastian Ulamek, Adrian Miedzinski, Mads Korneliussen and Sebastian Alden can take an extra ride.

"It is obviously disappointing not having Renat available," said Rossiter, "We will just have to monitor the situation and hope he makes a speedy recovery.

"We go with rider replacement tonight but that is not too bad as Ulamek can take one of his rides and I still feel very confident we can beat them again.

"It is the local derby above all others I want to win.

"It doesn't matter whether it is football or speedway Oxford are the team that Swindon want to beat.

"We are in a good run at the moment and another two points would be great and certainly keep us on track for the play-offs."

Oxford Cheetahs boss Aaron Lanney is new this season at Cowley and used to ride cycle speedway with Rossiter many years ago.

He said: "Beating Swindon is always what Oxford people look forward to and Wednesday will be no different.

"I'm told that their team manager Alun Rossiter has been telling all and sundry that his side will win easily.

"The Cheetahs will do all our talking where it matters on the track,"

PROBABLE TEAMS

OXFORD: 1 Todd Wiltshire, 2 Davey Watt, 3 Freddie Eriksson, 4 Adam Skornicki, 5 David Howe, 6 Lubos Tomicek, 7 Eric Andersson.

SWINDON: 1 Leigh Adams, 2 Mads Korneliussen, 3 Renat Gafurov Rider Replacement, 4 Sebastian Ulamek; 5 Lee Richardson, 6 Adrian Miedzinski, 7 Sebastian Alden.

TONIGHT'S OTHER FIXTURES

Sky Sports Elite League: Arena-Essex v Coventry 7.45, Belle Vue v Reading 7.30, Poole v Wolverhampton 7.30

Premier League KO Cup: King's Lynn v Berwick 7.30

Conference League: Stoke v Buxton 7.30