Preview: Barrow vs. Colchester United - prediction, team news, lineups

The home side have won their last two league matches, while the away side are winless in four, and need to start picking up wins to move out of the relegation zone.

Match preview

Barrow have made a great start to life under new manager Pete Wild, currently sitting fifth in the League Two standings, just four points off the automatic promotion places, with a game in hand at their disposal.

Wild joined the club after twice leading Halifax Town to the National League playoffs, and he has so far proven that he is capable of making the step up, taking the Bluebirds from a finish of 22nd last season, to serious contenders at the other end of the table.

After a 2-0 victory away at Newport County in September, Barrow found themselves second in the table, however four losses on the bounce sent them back to 11th place, posing questions about whether they had lost their way.

However, a draw away at Gillingham was followed by two home wins, defeating Grimsby Town 1-0 and Crewe Alexandra 3-0 to get their season back on track.

The most recent win against Crewe was particularly impressive, with Billy Waters putting them into the lead after just eight minutes, before Josh Gordon bagged a brace to secure a simple victory against a side that were playing League One football last season.

As such, the Bluebirds should be full of confidence going into their third home game on the spin on Tuesday night, especially considering Colchester have made a terrible start to the season.

Having amassed just 11 points from 16 games, the U's are bottom of the League 2 table, one point from 22nd-placed Rochdale, who they lost 1-0 to at the end of September, in what could prove to be a relegation six-pointer if their form does not improve.

A lack of goals has been a big issue for Matt Bloomfield's side, scoring just 13 so far, the third-lowest total in the league, while also only managing to net more than one in a game on just three occasions so far.

Bloomfield has only been in charge of the club since the end of September, with Wayne Brown being dismissed after a 1-0 home defeat to Grimsby Town, and he has so far managed to show some signs of recovery at his new club, with two draws in their most recent outings.

The most recent of which came against second-placed Stevenage, drawing 1-1 at the Colchester Community Stadium, a good result considering the calibre of their opponents, and one that the manager will be hoping can be a boost to his side.

Barrow League Two form:

L

L

L

D

W

W

Barrow form (all competitions):

L

L

W

D

W

W

Colchester United League Two form:

L

W

L

L

D

D

Colchester United form (all competitions):

W

L

L

L

D

D

Team News

Josh Gordon has been in fine scoring form for Barrow this season, netting nine league goals, and he is set to lead the line again after scoring twice on Saturday, in what is likely to be a 4-2-3-1 system.

In-behind the striker will be Billy Waters, who Wild brought to the club after he impressed at previous club Halifax, and he has so far rewarded his manager's faith in him, scoring in his last two league outings.

Elsewhere, George Ray has struck up a centre-back partnership with Niall Canavan of late, both starting in the last four League Two matches, and the pair are set to get the nod again on Tuesday.

Sam Foley is a doubt, having suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out of the team on Saturday, and the chances of Wild changing a team that played so well are also very low.

Having made five changes prior to the game against Stevenage, Bloomfield is likely to stick by the players that managed to get a decent point, with Marley Marshall-Miranda and Cole Skuse the most likely choices in the centre of midfield.

A switch to a 3-4-1-2 formation coincided with Saturday's draw, and so Tom Eastman, Luke Chambers, and Tom Dallison are all potential starters in defence again for Tuesday's trip to the SO Legal Stadium.

Defender Junior Tchamadeu may come back into the team at right-back, after serving his one-game suspension in the previous fixture.

Barrow possible starting lineup:

Farman; Warren, Ray, Canavan, Brough; White, Neal, Whitfield, Waters, Kay; Gordon

Colchester United possible starting lineup:

Hornby; Eastman, Chambers, Dallison; Hannant, Skuse, Marshall-Miranda, Kazeem, Newby; Sears, Nouble

We say: Barrow 3-0 Colchester United

Barrow are on an impressive winning streak at the SO Legal Stadium, and they should be good enough to continue it against League Two's bottom side. In a repeat of their victory against Crewe on Saturday, we expect them to win in comprehensive fashion.

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