Nottingham Panthers go in to tonight’s game at the Viola Arena Cardiff looking to take something back to the Motorpoint Arena as they look to reach their twelfth Challenge Cup Final a competition they have won a record eight times.

The first leg semi-final match face’s off at 7:30pm tonight in Wales with the return leg in Nottingham next Wednesday night promising to be a cracker.

Tactics will play a hand into how the Panthers approach the game with two leg affairs often tricky to predict as Nottingham found out in the Quarter Finals against Guildford.

On that occasion the Panthers won a first leg 5-1 away but were made to work in a second leg losing 5-3 at home but going through on aggregate overall.

Against Cardiff the Panthers beat the Devils last time out in December 3-2 in the Elite League and have won one and lost one of their previous two other league meetings this season over a double header weekend in October.

A result tonight where Nottingham can stay in the game and bring the Devils back to the Motorpoint Arena with all to play for next week would be favourable as the Panthers hope to reach the final of a cup they last won four years ago in 2016. That time, Nottingham’s most recent appearance in a Challenge Cup Final the Panthers beat Cardiff 1-0 in Overtime at Sheffield Arena.

*Main image @PanthersIHC Nottingham and Cardiff have played three times against each other already this season.