Ipswich Town can stretch their unbeaten run in League One to nine matches when they head to Whaddon Road for a date with Cheltenham Town on Monday.
The Robins were beaten 2-0 by Lincoln City the last time out, dropping points for a third successive league fixture, while Ipswich leapfrogged Sheffield Wednesday into second place thanks to a 4-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers, combined with a 1-1 draw for the Owls versus Oxford United.
Match preview
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It was another difficult day for the Cheltenham attack on Friday as they failed to find the back of the net for a second successive league game after scoring eight in their final three matches last month.
That has Wade Elliott's men in 16th place on 45 points, seven clear of Accrington Stanley and descent into League Two next season.
The defeat to Lincoln City was their first in this competition against an opponent above them in the table since dropping a 2-0 decision at Derby County at the end of February.
Cheltenham have managed to stay close to their opponents through much of the domestic campaign, though we have not seen them put together a complete collective effort numerous times, losing 11 matches in this season's competition by a single goal.
Coming into this encounter, the Robins have points in five consecutive home fixtures in League One, equalling their longest run from the previous campaign, which was their first in this competition since 2008-09.
At home, their pressing has been effective, with Cheltenham doing a nice job at winning possession, although they have not been clinical in the attack, with the Robins being one of only six teams in League One this season to score fewer than 40 goals (34) so far.
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A lack of scoring may be plaguing the home side heading into this weekend, but the opposite is true for their next opponents as Ipswich lead the league with 78 goals, 22 of them coming on their current eight-game winning streak.
Kieran McKenna's men are equally sharp defensively with the Tractor Boys, conceding the fewest goals domestically this season (31) while not allowing one in this competition in their previous nine outings.
As good as life has been at Ipswich Town of late, one poor match could ruin everything they have built up as Sheffield Wednesday are breathing down their necks, even with them on points with the club from Suffolk holding the tiebreaker edge on goal difference.
Since McKenna arrived in December 2021, the former Under-18s boss at Manchester United has got the best out of this group, particularly in the current domestic campaign, where 16 different players have found the back of the net.
From their quality in the attack to their creativity on the ball and some outstanding dead-ball specialists, there are plenty of dangerous men to be aware of up and down this roster.
They have only lost three away matches in League One this season but are also winless versus the Robins in this competition, squandering the lead in two of three meetings against them, including last November when they drew 1-1.
Team News
We saw one newcomer to the Cheltenham starting 11 on Friday as Ben Williams replaced Will Ferry for his first appearance since March 11 when he came on for the Irishman in a 3-0 win over Peterborough.
In their previous home contest, which they drew 0-0 with Burton, Luke Southwood collected his first clean sheet of the campaign since that match mentioned above versus Peterborough, while Alfie May has two goals in his last three games at Whaddon Road, currently with 14 on the season.
Ryan Broom only has two goals in League One this season, though his equaliser in November was enough to earn them a 1-1 draw with the Tractor Boys.
Leif Davis was back in the Ipswich lineup against Wycombe, replacing Greg Leigh after the English left-back missed the match versus Derby County with a minor knock.
George Hirst has scored in four consecutive matches for the Tractor Boys as he, Wes Burns, Freddie Ladapo and Conor Chaplin all netted in their lopsided victory last Friday, with the Ipswich number 10 now up to 18 goals domestically in 2022-23, the third-most in League One behind Colby Bishop (19) and Jonson Clarke-Harris (23).
Christian Walton did not have to make a single save in their previous match, collecting his ninth successive clean sheet in this competition, as he has not conceded since February 11 when his side drew Sheffield Wednesday 2-2.
Cheltenham Town possible starting lineup:
Southwood; Long, Taylor, Freestone, Williams; Broom, Rea, Ferry; Olayinka; May, Goodwin
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Walton; Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis; Ball, Morsy; Burns, Chaplin, Edwards; Hirst
We say: Cheltenham Town 0-2 Ipswich Town
Everything is going right for Ipswich right now, and given how close they are to an automatic promotion, we have a hard time seeing that form drop against a Robins unit who have been up and down throughout the campaign and struggling to score.
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Top tip
Joel Lefevre
