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

Joey Barton's side are coming into this on the back of three consecutive victories, with their latest three points being gained away from home against MK Dons.

Match preview

After a challenging start to this season, which was to be expected after losing their manager in the summer and this being only their second season in League One, Cheltenham had picked up some momentum in their last few fixtures before a defeat to promotion-chasing Sheffield Wednesday halted that progress.

Home fixtures have been good for Wade Elliott's side over the past few months as they have not suffered defeat in front of their fans since August, picking up three wins in the league, which included two clean sheets and beating Walsall in the EFL Trophy.

Goalkeeper Luke Southwood joined from Reading in the summer and despite the start to the season for the team seeing relatively few positives, his form has been good, picking up four clean sheets in 12 league games so far this season.

Scoring goals has been an issue for Cheltenham, with only 11 this season, making them the joint-third worst attack in the league.

They will be hoping that Alfie May can find his form from last season when he scored 23 goals, but he was stretchered off in their victory against Shrewsbury and has not played since then, with some rumours that he may miss up to eight weeks.

Bristol Rovers have won their last three games in all competitions, which included a win against Crystal Palace Under-21s in the EFL Trophy and their latest victory, a 1-0 triumph against MK Dons, which was decided by a penalty.

After their remarkable final-day promotion, starting this season off sitting 15th after playing 13 games is a solid start for the ambition of just maintaining their place in the division, especially after going on an eight-game run without picking up a league victory which ended with a win against Cambridge United.

The step up from League Two to League One has certainly not had an impact on the contributions of Aaron Collins, as he started the season with six goals and five assists, building on his 16 goals and two assists from last season. The stats suggest he has taken up more of a playmaker role this season but is still scoring at a good rate.

After only starting twice last season, Ryan Loft has also benefitted from the move up to League One, starting seven games this season already and picking up four goals, giving manager Barton an option he can rely on in the forward line.

A victory in this fixture would not only continue their winning run but could also see Bristol Rovers climb into the top half of the table, as the league is still tightly packed, with just five points between Bristol and the playoff places whilst also being just four points ahead of the relegation spots.

Cheltenham Town League One form:

D

W

L

W

W

L

Cheltenham Town form (all competitions):

W

L

W

W

W

L

Bristol Rovers League One form:

L

L

L

D

W

W

Bristol Rovers form (all competitions):

L

L

D

W

W

W

Team News

Cheltenham have been trying to find solutions in their forward line since losing Alfie May to injury and have rotated strikers alongside Christian Norton, with George Lloyd and Dan Nlundulu being the two options to choose from.

The rest of the side has been settled and unchanged for the last two fixtures, with the only change being the system used, a more expansive three-at-the-back formation being used against Bolton, compared to a more defensive five-at-the-back utilised against Sheffield Wednesday.

Unlike their opponents, the only thing that is settled about the Bristol Rovers side is the forward line, with rotation both in the defence and in the midfield.

Lewis Gibson came into the defence against MK Dons on Tuesday and with his side keeping a clean sheet, it would seem harsh to drop him for this fixture but Luca Hoole has started 11 of the 13 games this season, so this change would not be surprising.

Jordan Rossiter was the only member of the midfield three to keep his place for the game against MK Dons, but it would be expected that Sam Finley and Antony Evans will come back into the starting 11 for this game, as both appeared from the bench and Evans scored the winning penalty in the midweek fixture.

Cheltenham Town possible starting lineup:

Southwood; Freestone, Taylor, Long; Ferry, Perry, Sercombe, Jackson, Broom; Norton, Nlundulu

Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:

Belshaw; Gordon, Thomas, Hoole, Gibbons; Finley, Rossiter, Evans, Collins; Loft, Coburn

We say: Cheltenham Town 2-2 Bristol Rovers

Bristol Rovers have won their last two league games and this puts them in a good position to pick up a positive result in this fixture.

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