Preview: Bristol Rovers vs. Fleetwood Town - prediction, team news, lineups

The home side are currently 10th in the League One table, 12 points off sixth-placed Stevenage, while Fleetwood are 23rd, eight points from the safety of 20th position.

Match preview

Bristol Rovers made a poor start to 2024, losing five of their six matches between January 1 and January 23, but they will enter this match off the back of successive wins over Oxford United and Exeter City.

Matt Taylor's side emerged victorious from Saturday's clash with Exeter courtesy of a 15th-minute effort from Brandon Aguilera, and the result moved them into 10th position in the table.

Bristol Rovers are 12 points off the playoffs, so it is going to be very difficult to move into top-six contention, while they are also 12 points ahead of the relegation zone.

The Pirates, who finished 17th in the third tier last season, have picked up 23 points from their 14 matches in front of their own supporters this season, suffering only three points in the process.

Bristol Rovers are also unbeaten in their last three League One matches with Fleetwood, including a 2-1 victory when the two teams last locked horns in April 2023.

Fleetwood, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a morale-boosting 3-0 victory over Port Vale on Saturday, which proved to be their first win in the league since November 11.

Jayden Stockley made the breakthrough in the eighth minute of the contest, before Ronan Coughlan and Ryan Broom netted in the second period to hand Charlie Adam his first victory since arriving as head coach at the end of last year.

Fleetwood moved off the bottom of the division courtesy of their impressive win, with the team now 23d in the table, eight points behind 20th-placed Port Vale, demonstrating the importance of Saturday's three points.

The Fishermen have actually claimed half of their 22 points this season on their travels, suffering only seven losses from 14 away games, which is far from disastrous considering their position in the table.

Fleetwood can also take heart from the fact that they have lost only one of their last seven League One games against Bristol Rovers, although five of those fixtures have ended in a share of the spoils.

Bristol Rovers League One form:

L

L

L

L

W

W

Bristol Rovers form (all competitions):

L

L

L

L

W

W

Fleetwood Town League One form:

L

L

L

L

D

W

Team News

Bristol Rovers did not pick up any fresh problems from their 1-0 success over Exeter on Saturday, and it would therefore not be a surprise to see head coach Taylor name an unchanged side for this match.

Chris Martin has been in strong form this season, scoring 11 times in all competitions, and he should again lead the line with support from Luke Thomas.

Anthony Evans has also been among the goals this term, finding the back of the net on eight occasions, and he is also expected to retain his spot in the side for Tuesday's contest.

As for Fleetwood, due to the nature of the performance and result against Port Vale on Saturday, it will be difficult for Adam to make any changes for this clash.

A 3-4-3 formation should therefore again see Stockley lead the line, with the forward looking to add to the six goals which he has managed during the 2023-24 campaign.

Broom has contributed four goals from midfield this season and should also retain his spot, while there is expected to be a spot in the final third of the field for Coughlan.

Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:

Ward; Wilson, Crama, Friend; Hunt, Conteh, Aguilera, Vale; Evans, Martin, Thomas

Fleetwood Town possible starting lineup:

Lynch; Sarpong-Wiredu, Heneghan, Campbell; Broom, Mayor, Lawal, Johnston; Macadam, Stockley, Coughlan

We say: Bristol Rovers 1-1 Fleetwood Town

This is a difficult match to call, as Fleetwood will be full of confidence following their strong win last time out. Bristol Rovers are the favourites, but they have only won six times on home soil in the league this season, drawing five, and we can see the points being shared on Tuesday night.

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