Preview » Bristol Flyers v Cheshire Phoenix

Cheshire Phoenix missed out on the play-offs last season and have undergone a summer of change with a new-look roster. With head coach Ben Thomas holding the reins and the veteran play-caller Mike Burton still around to lean on, Phoenix look like they may now have a shot at cementing some much-needed stability.

Ben Thomas - After finishing outside the top eight last season, Ben Thomas was quick to work with assembling a new squad with four additions from within the BBL. Getting the team quickly on the same page will be the challenge as they seek a lengthy cup run and a return to the BBL play-offs.

Cheshire fell to Newcastle Eagles in the quarter-finals of the BBL Cup and went one step further in the Trophy before going down to Leicester Riders. However, they struggled for consistency in the league and finished with an 11-22 record in tenth place.

Fresh from hitting the game-winning three against Surrey Scorchers, Malcolm Riley will be reunited with his former Sheffield Sharks team-mate, Jordan Davis. Robert Sandoval has been a solid pick-up for the Nix after averaging 11.6 points and 4.8 assists per game for Leeds Force last season. The high-flying Orlan Jackman will light up the highlights reel and Andrew Bachmann will be hoping to avoid the injuries that curtailed his court time at Wolves last season.

Friday's game will be available to watch LIVE via the BBL’s official streaming partner, LiveBaketball.TV (subscription) - click here to sign up NOW.

Bristol Flyers faced the Cheshire Phoenix back when they were still a division one club in 2013. The Flyers drew the Nix in the second round of the BBL Trophy, where they lost 85-56 after beating Surrey United in round one.