Preview: Lincoln City vs. Bristol Rovers - prediction, team news, lineups

The hosts come into this fixture in a spell of positive form after a convincing 3-0 victory against Accrington Stanley in their previous match while Bristol Rovers head into this affair in opposing form to Lincoln having just been defeated by MK Dons 2-0 in their last match.

Match preview

A run of four games in a row without defeat has seen Lincoln strengthen their grip on survival in League One, with Mark Kennedy making his side hard to beat this campaign with only seven losses thus far, leaving them 16th in the table and seven points clear of the relegation places.

A convincing 3-0 victory over Accrington Stanley on the weekend saw Lincoln break their two-game duck without scoring in impressive fashion, with Ben House, Sean Roughan and Teddy Bishop all getting on the scoresheet.

However, despite having the ability to stay in games Lincoln have only managed to convert seven of those matches in their favour, with 13 games ending up in draws this season.

This has been down to the goalscoring department, as a failure to create chances has left Lincoln ranked 19th in League one for goals scored per game, having only netted 27 times this season.

Without a win in their previous four home games, Lincoln will be desperate to acquire three points in this matchup as doing so would mean they leapfrog their opponents on goal difference.

Lincoln will head into this game with confidence from their previous two outings against Bristol Rovers, as they have claimed victory in both of those matches and will feel they can exploit the visitors' weak defence in a similar fashion to what they did earlier this season, as Jack Diamond scored a hat-trick in a 6-3 Lincoln victory.

Meanwhile, Bristol Rovers will be in desperate search of a win after an abysmal run of form which has seen Joey Barton's side lose their last four games while conceding 11 goals and scoring only one.

A 2-0 defeat at home to MK Dons showed worrying signs for the Pirates, as a lack of purpose with their possession saw them create very little against their opponents and subsequently be punished by goals from Mohamed Eisa and Max Dean.

Although, despite only having scored once in their previous four games Rovers have been one of the most exciting attacking sides in the division this season, as they rank sixth in the league for goals scored per match with 1.5 goals a game.

However, it has been in the defensive department which they have struggled all season, keeping only five clean sheets throughout the entire campaign so far and failing to prevent the opposition from scoring in any of their last 10 matches.

If Barton's side are to win this clash, it will likely come through outscoring their opponents and therefore they will need Aaron Collins in top form as the 25-year-old is ranked first in League One for assists and big chances created this season while ranking second on the top-scoring charts with 14 goals and 10 assists for his side.

Lincoln City League One form:

D

D

L

D

D

W

Lincoln City form (all competitions):

D

L

L

D

D

W

Bristol Rovers League One form:

L

W

W

L

L

L

Bristol Rovers form (all competitions):

W

W

L

L

L

L

Team News

Despite a 3-0 victory over Accrington in their previous match, Lincoln are set to make four changes to the side that played on the weekend.

Lewis Montsma is expected to make way for Joe Walsh in central defence.

Ethan Erhahon and Teddy Bishop are also expected to be replaced by Max Sanders and Matthew Virtue in central midfield.

Olamide Shodipo is also set to be replaced by Charles Vernam in the attacking front line, with Jack Diamond on the right-hand side and Ben House to lead the line.

Joey Barton is expected to make three changes alongside a formation change from the MK Dons loss as he searches for a winning formula for his side.

A switch from a 4-5-1 to a 5-2-1-2 would see Lewis Gordon lose his place due to Scott Sinclair being preferred for the left wing-back role with Luca Hoole coming into the side to operate in the right wing-back role.

Grant Ward is also expected to lose his place in the side due to a loss of a midfielder in this system with forward Ryan Loft making a return to the side to partner Josh Coburn up top.

Aaron Collins is expected to play in a more central role as a key playmaker for his side.

Lincoln City possible starting lineup:

Rushworth; Poole, Jackson, O'Connor, Walsh, Roughan; Sanders, Virtue; Diamond, House, Vernam

Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:

Belshaw; Hoole, Gibbons, Connolly, Quansah, Sinclair; Coutts, Finley; Collins; Coburn, Loft

We say: Lincoln City 2-2 Bristol Rovers

We believe that Lincoln's home run without a win will continue in this game, but also that their run without losing will extend to five matches.

Bristol Rovers' ability to score and leak goals makes this game exciting to watch and can make them unpredictable, but we think that this game will end a point a piece for each side in a high-scoring 2-2 draw.

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