PLYMOUTH Raiders coach Gary Stronach has insisted his team are not guaranteed a badly-needed win against the BBL's bottom team Essex Pirates.

Raiders take on Essex at the Pavilions tomorrow (4pm), hoping to record the win that will propel them back into the play-off race.

The Plymouth team are 5-14, but have 17 games left to somehow force their way into the BBL's top eight and the post-season campaign.

Raiders will want to put a four game losing streak behind them, including tough defeats to the league's top two, Sheffield Sharks and Newcastle Eagles.

Stronach said his team are still in with a shout of making eighth spot, despite being three off the bottom of the BBL and 10 points adrift of Everton Tigers, who occupy the final post season slot.

But he warned of the dangers of treating matches as two-point bankers.

Stronach said: "It's tough going in this league – Essex are a good, young and athletic team.

"None of our games are easy. If you ask the coaches at Sheffield and Newcastle (respectively first and second), they would tell you that no game is guaranteed in this league. It is so open.

"(Title hopefuls) Everton are eighth at the moment, which demonstrates how topsy-turvy the league is this year.

"There are a lot of even match-ups in the league this year and this weekend for us will be a dogfight."

Despite Raiders struggling to get into one of the top eight spots – their fans have been more used to them being in the top four over the past three years – Stronach disagreed with the suggestion this was his most difficult season.

"I don't think it's the most difficult season," he said. "We have faced a lot of adversity with injuries, but we faced the same thing last year.

"We are still in the (play-offs) race, although we need to win the majority of our games.

"We have just got to believe we are a play-off team."

Stronach said one of the most important aspects of the season was to keep his squad healthy.

Up to four Raiders were suffering from injuries of varying severity going into the weekend.

Stronach said: "If you get two guys missing through injury, it's very difficult for the team.

"If we are going to pick up the points we need, we have got to have a healthy squad."

The form book says Raiders should win, as they experienced a comfortable 18 point win (83-65) last time the two sides met at the Pavilions.

Stronach, who said his team have been working hard on defence in training, will want his players to keep an eye on Tanner Adu, who top scored for Essex in that game with 20 points.

Essex coach Tim Lewis has recently added former Worcester Wolves forward Randy George, who scored 19 points against Raiders.