Preview: Port Vale vs Rotherham United - prediction, team news, lineups

Two of the bottom three sides in the League One table will do battle at Vale Park on Tuesday, as Port Vale welcome Rotherham United.

The hosts remain rooted to the foot of the division and are on the back of an FA Cup quarter-final thrashing at the hands of Chelsea, while their visitors sit nine points adrift of safety in 22nd spot after a draw on Friday.

Match preview

Port Vale return to League One action on Tuesday aiming to bounce back from a heavy FA Cup defeat at the weekend and keep any faint hopes of survival alive with a bounce back to winning ways.

Following their promotion from League Two last time around, the Valiants have struggled to compete in England's third tier, sitting bottom of the division throughout with just 31 points on the board from their 38 outings, with 13 of those coming from 15 league outings since Jon Brady's January arrival.

A highlight of the season has been their run to the FA Cup quarter-finals, though, seeing off Bristol Rovers, Fleetwood Town, Bristol City and top-flight Sunderland on their way to the quarter-finals, only to face a trip to Chelsea on Saturday and suffer a 7-0 beating having trailed from the second minute.

Now focusing back on their faint survival hopes, Brady's men have managed just four points from their last six league matches since a brief improvement in February, having picked up an impressive home victory over Bolton Wanderers only to follow that up with a 1-0 away loss to Doncaster Rovers and a 4-0 beating away at Wycombe Wanderers.

Now finding themselves four points off 23rd spot and 15 adrift of safety, albeit with games in hand on all teams around them, having conceded 11 goals in their last two matches, Port Vale will be desperate to pick up a victory on Tuesday knowing that any hopes of escaping the bottom four are reliant on a perfect end to the season and other results going their way throughout.

Their visitors, meanwhile, head to Vale Park in search of a return to winning ways of their own with their survival hopes also fading.

Rotherham United's second consecutive League One season has been a poor one, with the South Yorkshire outfit now sat 22nd on just 37 points from 39 games having made a managerial change in mid-March.

Matt Hamshaw would be dismissed, leaving them on 36 points from 37 matches having won just one of their previous nine games and finished with a 5-0 beating to Peterborough United, but they are yet to make a meaningful improvement under the new management of Lee Clark.

His tenure began with a tough trip to leaders Lincoln City before the international break, and the Millers fell to a 3-0 defeat, and they would return to action on Friday and share the points in a goalless stalemate at home to Stevenage.

Now sitting nine points adrift of safety with just seven games left to play, two in hand on 21st-placed Exeter City and one in hand on 20th-placed Wigan Athletic, Rotherham United will feel they must leave Vale Park with all three points on Tuesday to begin a late climb out of the drop zone.

Port Vale League One form:

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Port Vale form (all competitions):

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Rotherham United League One form:

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Team News

Port Vale will remain without Jaheim Headley, who missed the trip to Chelsea after being forced off with an injury early in the defeat to Wycombe Wanderers.

Defender Ben Heneghan and midfielder George Byers will also continue lengthy stays in the treatment room.

Everton loanee Martin Sherif, who spent the first half of the season with the visitors, may again lead the line with support from Ben Garrity and Ben Waine, who leads the current squad with eight goals in all competitions this season, although Andre Gray and Ethon Archer will also compete for starts.

Rotherham United are unable to call on midfielder Daniel Gore, who was sent off late in Friday's draw against Stevenage.

That only adds to their extensive selection concerns, with Hamish Douglas, Marvin Kaleta, Denzel Hall, Joe Powell, Kian Spence, Dru Yearwood, Emmanuel Adegboyega, Shaun McWilliams and Jordan Hugill all likely remaining sidelined by injuries.

Given those losses, Josh Benson should join veteran Liam Kelly in midfield, while Ar'Jany Martha may come in alongside Duncan Watmore and Harry Gray in support of front man Sam Nombe, who has netted nine goals in 24 league appearances this term.

Port Vale possible starting lineup:

Gauci; Lawrence-Gabriel, Campbell, Humphreys, Hall, Gordon; Walters, Ojo; Waine, Gray, Archer

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:

Cann; Rafferty, Baptiste, Jules, James; Benson, Kelly; Martha, Watmore, Gray; Nombe

We say: Port Vale 1-2 Rotherham United

Both sides head into the contest lacking in momentum, but a gruelling and painful trip to Chelsea cannot set Port Vale up well for a league clash three days later.

Despite the extensive injury issues suffered by the hosts, we back Rotherham to come away from Vale Park with a crucial first win under Lee Clark knowing only that will suffice to kickstart their survival bid.

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