Two sides in contrasting runs of form will lock horns at the Memorial Stadium on Saturday, as Bristol Rovers play host to Walsall.
A recent resurgence has seen the hosts climb to 13th place in the League Two table, while their visitors have dropped to 17th spot after four consecutive defeats in England's fourth tier.
Match preview
© Reuters
After their relegation from League One last season, Bristol Rovers looked to be at risk of continuing a dramatic slide down the English pyramid at the beginning of the new campaign, earning just 23 points from their opening 20 games.
However, Joey Barton's men have found an impressive run of form recently, firstly arresting a slump with a 4-2 home victory over Rochdale thanks to an Aaron Collins brace and goals from Antony Evans and Harry Anderson.
Collins and Evans were again on the scoresheet in dramatic fashion in the following victory over Hartlepool United, both scoring in the final five minutes to seal all three points after the game looked set to end goalless.
Following a commendable 1-1 draw away at promotion-chasing Swindon Town, Barton's side made a return to winning ways on Tuesday, albeit with a late scare, as basement side Scunthorpe United pulled two goals back in the dying embers after the Bristol side led 3-0 through Joshua Grant, Evans and Leon Clarke.
Nonetheless, the Gas picked up three more crucial points to climb further up the division, and they will hope to continue their rise with another victory on Saturday that could see them break into the top half.
© Reuters
Walsall arrive looking to arrest a slump, with the Saddlers having lost their last four league outings.
After a 3-0 thrashing of Colchester United and a commendable 3-3 draw with Newport County, Matthew Taylor's side were handed a 3-1 defeat away at Stevenage and a 2-0 loss at Mansfield Town.
Two tough home clashes then followed, and, after a 2-0 defeat to Exeter City, the Midlands outfit looked to have earned a valuable point in a 1-1 draw with Bradford City, only for Andy Cook to convert a late penalty for the Bantams, condemning Walsall to a fourth straight loss in League Two.
As a result, Taylor's men have quickly dropped down the division, and, while they still sit 10 points clear of the two relegation places, they will be keen to increase that gap and climb back up the table with a result to break their difficult run.
- L
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
- L
- W
- L
- W
- D
- W
- W
- D
- L
- L
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
After a run of improved results, Joey Barton is unlikely to make many changes to his Bristol Rovers side, with the Gas again set to line up in a 4-2-3-1 system.
Antony Evans will continue to be a key man in the attack, having netted three goals in the last four games to take his tally to five league strikes for the season alongside six assists.
Experienced forward Leon Clarke marked his return to action with a goal off the bench last time out, and he will hope to earn a starting berth on Saturday, although he would have to displace Aaron Collins at the top end of the pitch.
On the contrary, Walsall may look to alter their side to trigger a turn in form, with the likes of Sam Perry potentially in line to start.
George Miller will continue to lead the line, having hit his seventh league goal of the season last time out.
Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:
Belshaw; Hoole, Taylor, Connolly, Grant; Finley, Coutts; Nicholson, Evans, Thomas; Collins
Walsall possible starting lineup:
Rushworth; White, Daniels, Leak, Mills; Earing, Perry; Wilkinson, Labadie, Kiernan; Miller
We say: Bristol Rovers 2-1 Walsall
Given the contrasting form of the two sides, we can only envisage a home victory on Saturday.
Walsall come devoid of confidence, and, while they will be desperate to reverse their fortunes, we do not see that coming away at a resurgent Bristol Rovers outfit.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Bristol Rovers win with a probability of 40.85%. A win for Walsall had a probability of 32.16% and a draw had a probability of 27%.
The most likely scoreline for a Bristol Rovers win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.15%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.52%) and 2-0 (7.42%). The likeliest Walsall win was 0-1 (9.63%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.8%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with an 11.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Bristol Rovers in this match and our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted the win for Bristol Rovers.
