Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Preview: Bristol Rovers vs. Port Vale - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 8 December 2022, 14:35
Bristol Rovers are looking to extend an unbeaten run of three games in League One when they welcome Port Vale to the Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Vale come into this game off the back of two consecutive wins and could move into the playoff places with another victory here.

Match preview

In their first season back in League One, Bristol Rovers have exceeded expectations, losing just one third-tier game since the start of October and sitting safely in 15th place.

However, despite an excellent run in the league and progressing through to the last 16 of the EFL Trophy, Joey Barton cut a frustrated figure as Rovers succumbed to National League side Boreham Wood in the FA Cup two weeks ago, before sharing the spoils with Bolton Wanderers last weekend in league action.

Josh Coburn's fifth Gas goal was a perfect response to the club's home FA Cup exit to Luke Garrard's side, but Dion Charles came off the bench to score a dramatic late equaliser for the Trotters in a 1-1 draw to deny Barton's side all three points.

Barton will be eager to see his side bounce back here, as Bristol could potentially move as high as 10th in the table with a victory, and they are only six points adrift of the playoff places.

.

Meanwhile, the visitors made it three wins on the spin in all competitions last time out, with a 2-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle.

James Wilson's second-half double for the Vale gave them all three points, ending the Pilgrims' nine-match winning home run in the process.

Darrell Clarke's side are currently in ninth place in the table, having amassed 29 points across 20 fixtures, and they are just two points adrift of the playoff places.

Victory here could move them into the top six should other results go their way, and Clarke will be confident his side claim a victory, as they have one of the better away records in the division - the Vale have picked up 14 points from their 10 games on the road so far this season.

Bristol Rovers League One form:

D

D

L

D

W

D

Bristol Rovers form (all competitions):

W

D

W

W

L

D

Port Vale League One form:

L

W

D

L

W

W

Port Vale form (all competitions):

D

L

L

W

W

W

Team News

Barton made three changes to the side that started in last Sunday's FA Cup defeat to Boreham Wood against Bolton, as Sam Finely, Jordan Rossiter and Trevor Clarke replaced Lewis Gordon, Glenn Whelan and Ryan Loft, so he could shuffle the pack again here.

Harry Anderson should be in contention to make his first Bristol Rovers appearance since the end of October after travelling and training with the first team before the League One draw at the University of Bolton Stadium.

As for Port Vale, Clarke named an unchanged side against Plymouth from the one that beat Charlton Athletic, so he could be tempted to stick with a winning formula.

However, the game against Argyle came too soon for top scorer Ellis Harrison, and midfielder Funso Ojo, who both missed the clash through injury.

Will Forrester returned to the squad and was named on the bench against Steven Schumacher's side, so he could be involved here.

Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:

Belshaw; Thomas, Gibson, Connolly; Sinclair, Whelan, Rossiter, Evans, Gordon; Collins, Coburn

Port Vale possible starting lineup:

Stevens; Smith, Hall, Jones; Worrall, Garrity, Butterworth, Conlon, Benning; Massey, Wilson

We say: Bristol Rovers 1-2 Port Vale

With both sides being in similar veins of form, we think this will be a tightly-contested affair.

Previews by email

Top News

22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal broke an English football record in their 5-1 Premier League thrashing of Crystal Palace on Saturday, but it came at a significant cost, as Bukayo Saka was taken off with a suspected hamstring problem in the first half. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku is allegedly generating interest from at least five clubs. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona reportedly remain fully behind head coach Hansi Flick despite the team's latest title setback against Atletico Madrid on Saturday night. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Southampton's new head coach Ivan Juric is one not to be messed with as his physical scrap with Torino's sporting director showed. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking to pick up a third straight home win in the Primeira Liga, Vitoria de Guimaraes play host to Nacional at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on Monday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is reportedly looking for the Red Devils to build a new scouting team in Portugal in a bid to unearth the next Cristiano Ronaldo. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick is reportedly not interested in signing Manchester United attacker Alejandro Garnacho during next summer's transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool must take advantage of Tottenham Hotspur's considerable weaknesses and will be confident of victory on Sunday according to Reds expert David Lynch. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The January transfer window is almost here and clubs around the UK and Europe are lining up moves as they look to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Union Saint-Jean vs. Monaco (Sunday, 1.45pm) On Sunday, in a David vs. Goliath affair, Union Saint-Jean can pull off one of the biggest upsets in Coupe de France history when they take on Monaco in the round of 64 at Stadium de Toulouse. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Gaziantep vs. Antalyaspor (Sunday, 10.30am) After their Turkish Cup victory in midweek, Gaziantep will now turn their attention to the Turkish Super Lig, with Antalyaspor visiting the Kalyon Stadyumu in Sunday's gameweek 17 encounter. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Santa Clara vs. Braga (Sunday, 5.00pm) Still reeling from crashing out of the Taca de Portugal, Santa Clara return to action in the Primeira Liga when they play host to Braga at the Estadio de Sao Miguel on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sparta vs. Ajax (Sunday, 11.15am) Ajax will be looking to end the year on a high when they travel to Sparta-Stadion Het Kasteel to take on a stuttering Sparta Rotterdam in the Eredivisie on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Valencia vs. Alaves (Sunday, 1.00pm) Valencia will attempt to claim their third league when they welcome relegation rivals Alaves to Mestalla for Sunday's crucial La Liga encounter. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma vs. Parma (Sunday, 11.30am) Both struggling in the bottom half of the Serie A standings, Roma and Parma will hope for an early Christmas gift when they meet at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk VfL Bochum vs. Heidenheim (Sunday, 2.30pm) In a relegation six-pointer, VfL Bochum will hope to defeat Heidenheim when they welcome them to Vonovia Ruhrstadion on Sunday in their 15th Bundesliga game of the season. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Dundee Utd vs. Celtic (Sunday, 12.00pm) Celtic, looking to maintain their unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership, will travel to Tannadice Park on Sunday afternoon to face Dundee United. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Everton vs. Chelsea (Sunday, 2.00pm) Chelsea have the chance to go top of the Premier League for a brief time at least when they travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk South American giants Palmeiras have reportedly sent an 'initial proposal' to Fulham for midfielder Andreas Pereira. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Nuno Espirito Santo will rival Arne Slot to win the Premier League's Manager of the Year award. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona want to sever ties with attacker Ansu Fati at the earliest opportunity in the January transfer window but the player is rebelling against a move, according to a report. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane has confirmed that he wants to remain at the Allianz Arena despite links with a return to the Premier League next year. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Serie A powerhouses Napoli have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on a free transfer next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Sorloth scored a last-gasp winner as Atletico Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to go top of the La Liga table. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has been seen leaving Selhurst Park on crutches after sustaining a suspected hamstring problem in Saturday's 5-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have written a new page of English football history thanks to their 5-1 destruction of London rivals Crystal Palace in Saturday's Premier League derby. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Round 17 of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig will be wrapped up with a clash between two sides from the Marmara region, as Istanbul Basaksehir welcome Kasimpasa to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu on Monday evening. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Leicester loan star Facundo Buonanotte wants to see a Tottenham forward join him so they can rekindle their partnership. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal's rivals will hate it but they can definitely claim London is red after their 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus continued his resurgence with two goals as the Gunners demolished Crystal Palace 5-1 in the Premier League at Selhurst Park.