Preview: Port Vale vs Doncaster Rovers - prediction, team news, lineups

Both aiming to bounce back from midweek defeats, Port Vale and Doncaster Rovers will square off at Vale Park on Saturday.

The two sides both earned promotion to League One last season, with the hosts winless in their first four outings and the visitors sat on seven points.

Match preview

Port Vale will continue their search for a first League One victory of the season on Saturday, having endured a tough start to life back in the third tier after winning promotion last time around.

The Valiants bounced back at the first time of asking with a second-placed League Two finish in the 2024-25 term, but Darren Moore's men have only managed to pick up two points from their first four attempts thus far, scoring just two goals in those games.

Those points came from consecutive goalless draws at home to newly-relegated Cardiff City and away at Burton Albion in mid-August, either side of a 1-0 away win over Blackpool to progress to the EFL Cup second round.

League leaders Stevenage then visited Vale Park on Tuesday, and Moore's men looked set to condemn the visitors to a first league defeat of the season having led through Lorent Tolaj until the 88th minute, only for Jamie Reid to turn the game around with a late brace, as the winner came in injury time.

Left wounded by that agonising loss, but with positives to take from their start to the campaign having only allowed four goals, Port Vale will hope to end their wait for a first league win on Saturday having prevailed over the visitors in two of their three meetings last year.

They face a tough test, though, as their opponents arrive hoping for another league win at Vale Park, having prevailed in last season's contest in Burslem and pipped the hosts to the League Two title.

Doncaster Rovers have since enjoyed a more impressive transition to life back in the third tier to that of Port Vale and former manager Moore, having earned seven points from their first four attempts, kicking off with consecutive 1-0 and 2-1 victories over Exeter City and Mansfield Town respectively.

Grant McCann's men then visited Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup first round and dished out a 4-0 beating thanks to goals from Ben Close, Damola Ajayi, Robbie Gotts and Tom Nixon, before taking a creditable point at home to Wycombe Wanderers last weekend, having led through Billy Sharp.

Then hoping to continue an unbeaten start to the 2025-26 campaign, Rovers most recently made the trip to fellow Yorkshire outfit Huddersfield Town on Tuesday but left empty-handed, as Ben Wiles broke the deadlock for the hosts 12 minutes from time and Joe Taylor wrapped up a 2-0 home win from the penalty spot.

Doncaster Rovers will now bid to quickly rebound from that disappointment and record a third League One triumph of the campaign, having won 3-2 when they visited Vale Park in the fourth tier last August.

Port Vale League One form:

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Port Vale form (all competitions):

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Doncaster Rovers League One form:

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Doncaster Rovers form (all competitions):

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Team News

Port Vale will remain without suspended midfielder George Byers at the weekend, while Ben Amos, Ruari Paton and Jayden Stockley are confined to the treatment room.

In the absence of Stockley, Lorent Tolaj will again be relied upon to lead the attack after netting his first goal of the season last time out, with Ronan Curtis and Mo Faal competing to join him.

Ben Garrity was fit to return to action off the bench in midweek having been sidelined since mid-April, and the midfielder may continue to be eased back in with substitute appearances while Jordan Shipley and Ryan Croasdale get the nod in the engine room.

Doncaster Rovers are again unable to call on defender Jamie Sterry due to an injury, while Charlie Crew, Robbie Gotts, Jordan Gibson and Brandon Hanlan are among those pushing for starting spots after making substitute appearances in midweek.

Veteran Billy Sharp will hope to again spearhead the attack, while winger Luke Molyneux is their star man going forward, having helped to fire them to promotion with 16 goals and 13 assists in League One last season.

Port Vale possible starting lineup:

Marosi; Humphreys, Debrah, Hall; Clark, Croasdale, Shipley, Ojo, Gordon; Tolaj, Curtis

Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:

Lo-Tutala; Nixon, O'Riordan, McGrath, Senior; Bailey, Crew; Molyneux, Gotts, Middleton; Hanlan

We say: Port Vale 1-1 Doncaster Rovers

While Doncaster Rovers have certainly enjoyed the stronger start to the season, Port Vale have certainly shown more signs of encouragement than their current points tally suggests, and we see them having enough to share the points at Vale Park on Saturday.

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