Morecambevs.Gillingham

A victory for either could potentially propel them into the top seven, but with each heading into this game on the back of winless runs the focus will be on getting back to claiming three points.

Match preview

Morecambe might be sat just three points out of the playoff positions at the moment, but their recent performances have been anything but promotion form.

The Shrimps have lost three consecutive matches heading into this weekend, and poor defensive displays have been at the heart of the problem throughout each of them.

Ged Brannan's men have conceded 11 goals across those matches, which is a situation he will be keen to fix, and a fixture against the lowest-scoring team in the league could not have come at a better time because of that.

Gillingham has managed to score just 16 times in away games this season, and the Shrimps shall be looking to tighten things up at the back in a bid to return to winning ways.

However, Morecambe will need a stronger performance than their previous meeting against the Gills this season where they were beaten 2-1.

The visitors will welcome a repeat of that result, particularly since they are just a single point outside of the top seven, giving them a real chance to break into the playoff positions with a win.

The Gills boast the worst goal difference out of the teams in the top half of the table, therefore picking up as many points as possible is going to be crucial due to how tight the division is at the moment.

However, Stephen Clemence's men are also in a poor run of form heading into this fixture as they have not won in their previous four matches, and even though two of those games have been draws it is not enough to push them into the top seven.

Gillingham were held to a 1-1 draw against Grimsby Town last weekend after George Lapslie scored an equaliser in the 15th minute, with the Gills unable to kick on and win the match after that point.

The visitors have been weaker in away fixtures so far this season, picking up two-thirds of their defeats on the road which is something that the team needs to improve upon as they try to keep their promotion hopes alive.

Morecambe League Two form:

D

W

W

L

L

L

Gillingham League Two form:

W

W

L

D

L

D

Team News

Morecambe are dealing with several injuries at the moment as JJ McKiernan, Brandon Barker, Stuart Moore and Donald Love are all out of action at the moment.

The Shrimps defender Farrend Rawson also missed out on the recent loss against Salford City, but his injury is not expected to be as long-term, although he remains doubtful for this weekend.

Gillingham was rocked with a sickness bug ahead of their draw against Grimsby last weekend which forced several changes to take place to the team, but Clemence should have more options this time around.

The Gills do have several long-term injury problems though as Dom Jefferies has a thigh issue, Josh Andrews is dealing with a muscle strain, and Jorge Hurtado's knee is keeping him out.

The visitors could welcome Conor Materson back to the starting lineup this time around though after he served his one-match suspension last weekend.

Morecambe possible starting lineup:

Mair; Tutonda, Bedeau, Stokes, Senior; Songo'o, Khumbeni; Edwards, Adams, Garner; Hiwula

Gillingham possible starting lineup:

Morris; Hutton, Ehmer, Ogie, Clark; McKenzie, Dieng; Mahoney, Lapslie, Williams; Hawkins

We say: Morecambe 1-1 Gillingham

Neither team heads into this match in good form, and that could be reflected in the game itself as both will likely be more cautious because of their performances as late.

Each club is hoping to make a late push into the playoffs, but they could end up sharing the points in this particular fixture.

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