League One Cheltenham Town take on lower-tier opposition Salford City in the quarter-finals of the EFL Trophy on Tuesday.
Wade Elliott's side are undefeated across their historical head-to-head chronicles, while The Ammies have already engraved their name on the cup following their success in 2019-20.
Match preview
Beginning in August last year with 64 teams, one of the most renowned knockout tournaments has been whittled down to eight teams in the previous four-and-a-half months.
One of those sides will be Cheltenham Town, who progressed to the last eight with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Chelsea Under-21s on December 13.
Arriving at this stage for the first time since the 2005-06 rendition, The Robins successfully booked their place in the third round on November 22 after an energy-sapping 120 minutes at The New Lawn Stadium, that culminated in a penalty shootout victory over fellow English third-tier outfit Forest Green Rovers.
However, Cheltenham's preparations heading into next week did not go to plan as Kieran Phillips's second-half goal condemned Elliot's side to a 2-1 defeat to relegation rivals Morecambe on Saturday.
With the prospect of making their maiden appearance at the semi-final stage, the hosts will be cheered on by a bumper crowd at The Completely-Suzuki Stadium throughout Tuesday evening.
Hoping for a repeat success from two years ago, following their penalty-shootout victory over Portsmouth at Wembley Stadium, Salford City have been in imposing form across all formats of the game this season.
With their success in the English capital in March 2021, the Greater Manchester-based club's only piece of silverware to date since being established as Salford Central in 1940, Neil Wood's troops will be keen to add another accolade to the trophy cabinet at the Peninsula Stadium.
After finishing at the summit of their qualification group, Salford progressed to the third round in mid-November, with Lorent Tolaj's 35th-minute strike proving enough to overcome Bradford City.
The Ammies then followed up their second-round victory a month later, as Matt Smith's first-half strike confirmed their place in the quarter-finals stage at the expense of Port Vale.
In the wake of a victory over automatic promotion candidates Northampton Town on Saturday, Salford travel to Gloucestershire occupying the final League Two playoff position.
Team News
After finding the back of the net in their defeat to Morecambe, Cheltenham Town striker Alfie May will now have to cope without regular strike partner Dan Nlundulu after the Southampton loanee decided to cut his spell at The Completely-Suzuki Stadium short.
Following a productive spell with The Ammies, scoring five goals and adding three more assists across all competitions, the highly-sought after striker is now scheduled to join up with Bolton Wanderers at the beginning of next week.
Without Nlundulu, Ryan Loft could be drafted into The Robins' starting XI to lead the line alongside May, with Ryan Broom again handed another opportunity within the number 10 role.
Attempting to fill the void left by Brandon Thomas-Asante, still Salford City's joint-top league goalscorer despite leaving the club for West Bromwich Albion at the end of August, striker Matt Smith has now scored five league goals in his last six matches.
Barring any injuries, Neil Wood should again name Conor McAleny and Odin Bailey as Smith's supporting cast in the final third.
Cheltenham Town possible starting lineup:
Southwood; Long, Taylor, Bradbury; Jackson, Bonds, Sercombe, Ferry, Broom; Loft, May
Salford City possible starting lineup:
King; Bolton, Vassell, Leak, Touray; Watson, Watt, Galbraith; Bailey, McAleny, Smith
We say: Cheltenham Town 1-2 Salford City
With Salford City firmly involved in the intensely competitive League Two playoff battle, we predict that The Ammies will be able to take their league form into the semi-finals of the EFL Trophy.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
