Salford Cityvs.Cheltenham

The Ammies sealed their place in round two with a win over Shrewsbury, while the Robins kicked off their FA Cup campaign with a successful outing against Rotherham United.

Match preview

Salford are competing in the second round for the first time since 2021-22 after they saw off League One opposition in the first round.

Matty Lund netted a brace to guide his team to a 2-1 victory in their tie against Shrewsbury, with their result representing the first time they had won an FA Cup home time in regulation time since November 2015.

While they may have enjoyed success in the first round, Salford have struggled to pick up wins in their recent league outings, having taken just two points from their previous three matches in the fourth tier.

The Ammies, who occupy 15th place in League Two, will look to put their recent league form aside as they go in search of a victory that would move them into the third round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history.

Karl Robinson's side may be able to take confidence from the fact they have won four of their previous six home games in all competitions.

Like their hosts, Cheltenham negotiated a first-round tie against a League One team, claiming a 3-1 away victory over Rotherham thanks to a Joel Colwill brace and an Ethon Archer effort.

That victory helped the Robins put together a seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions, before they fell to a 3-2 defeat in their away meeting with MK Dons earlier this month.

While they would have been disappointed with that result, Cheltenham showed great character to bounce back with a 1-0 home win against Tranmere Rovers, which came courtesy of Colwill's 89th-minute winner.

As a result of that victory, Cheltenham are currently in 14th position and level on 21 points with Salford, suggesting that Saturday's clash could be a close-fought contest.

While the Robins may not have home advantage, they will be able to draw encouragement from their recent record on the road, having won three of their previous four competitive away matches.

Salford City FA Cup form:

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Salford City form (all competitions):

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Cheltenham Town FA Cup form:

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Cheltenham Town form (all competitions):

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Team News

Salford are still expected to be without the services of Dan Chesters, Ryan Watson, James Chester and Hakeeb Adelakun.

Tyrese Fornah and Matty Young are available for selection after missing the draw with Doncaster due to their international commitments.

Kylian Kouassi is set to lead the line for the hosts, and the Blackpool loanee will be looking to score in a second straight game after finding the net in the recent draw with Doncaster.

As for the visitors, they are still unable to call upon left-back Ryan Haynes and midfielder Harry Pell, with the pair expected to be out until March and April respectively

West Ham United loanee Levi Laing has stepped up his recovery from a knee injury, but he will not be ready to feature in Saturday's fixture.

Cheltenham boss Michael Flynn could be tempted to select the same lineup that started the recent 1-0 victory over Tranmere.

Salford City possible starting lineup:

Jones; Mnoga, Tilt, Negru; Lund, Ashley, Fornah, Garbutt; Woodburn; N'Mai; Kouassi

Cheltenham Town possible starting lineup:

Day; Payne, Bennett, Stubbs, Bradbury; Young, Kinsella; Thomas, Colwill, Archer; Miller

We say: Salford City 2-1 Cheltenham Town

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