Iversen will be back at the Showground on Thursday night

Former Panther Niels-Kristian Iversen has said he is not surprised to see his old side struggling at the start of the new Elite League season.

Iversen, who left Peterborough over the summer, will return with the Wolverhampton Wolves on Thursday.

"I'm not surprised that they haven't started off very well," he said.

"As I look at it they have a strong top two with Hans [Andersen] and Kenneth [Bjerre], but the rest are a little inconsistent."

Interview: Niels-Kristian Iversen

Panthers have suffered a string of heavy away defeats in the early part of the season, including a 59-33 reverse at the hands of Iversen's Wolverhampton.

Like Panthers, Iversen's side have also struggled at the start of the new campaign, with only three wins from 10 fixtures.

We have a few young guys in the team who like to race big tracks and that can be our advantage Niels-Kristian Iversen

However the Grand Prix star is confident his new side can take the initiative at the Showground on Thursday.

"It's a good track for me and I am looking forward to getting back there, hopefully I can give a good performance," he told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

"We have a few young guys in the team who like to race big tracks and that can be our advantage."

Panthers' Henning Bager will make his first appearance since rejoining the club last week.

He replaces the injured Sam Simota and comes in to the team to partner captain Hans Anderson at number two, with Morten Risager moving to the reserves.