Having recorded their first win of 2022 at the weekend, League Two playoff contenders Port Vale start February by welcoming runaway leaders Forest Green Rovers to Vale Park on Tuesday.
While the hosts had been struggling since the turn of the year, their visitors are seemingly storming towards the third tier and have won four times in their last six matches - on each occasion without conceding a goal.
Match preview
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While their playoff hopes have diminished in recent weeks, Port Vale ended a five-match winless streak - including a run of four straight defeats - with victory over Scunthorpe United on Saturday.
Following up a midweek draw at Leyton Orient, the Valiants scraped over the line against the division's last-placed side, with Nathan Smith scoring the game's only goal in the 72nd minute.
Mightily relieved to hang on and record a first Vale Park win since November, Darrell Clarke's men now have the opportunity to build on those hard-earned three points by turning out at their Burslem base once again.
Sitting ninth in the League Two table, with just three points now separating them from Swindon Town in the top seven - and at least one game in hand on most of their promotion rivals - Vale may enjoy home advantage for the second time in a matter of days on Tuesday, but their opponents can make life difficult regardless of the venue.
Clarke will know that his side must continue to improve their form in front of their own supporters if they are to mount a sustained challenge for a League One return, but despite conceding at a rate of less than a goal per game on home soil they have won fewer than half their games in the Potteries so far.
Still, they may take confidence from being one of only two teams to have conquered an imperious Forest Green team this term, having stole away from Gloucestershire with a 2-0 win back in August.
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Suffering just a single league loss since that rare reverse at the start of the season, Forest Green have established themselves as the front-runners in a competitive race for a top three place in May.
Having just dispatched closest rivals Tranmere - who began the weekend seven points adrift in second place - the side managed by Rob Edwards seem set to streak away with the title, but there remains nearly half of the campaign to complete.
If they are to ultimately secure a first-ever promotion to League One, then Rovers will surely have cause to reflect on some superb away form as an integral part of their success.
Unbeaten on the road so far, Edwards has seen his team accumulate eight wins and five draws from their 13 away days in the league, after they added another three points in Birkenhead with Saturday's 4-0 victory.
Since ending 2021 with a bizarre 5-5 draw against Oldham, the innovative outfit have gone on to win four of their January fixtures while recording a 12-1 aggregate scoreline in their favour, seeing their goal difference soar to +34 - at least 23 better than any League Two rival.
If that was not enough to strike fear into Port Vale hearts before the clubs clash on Tuesday, Forest Green may also have a taste for revenge, following their early-season loss to the Valiants at The New Lawn.
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Team News
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Rob Edwards recently strengthened his league-leading squad by bringing in Kasey McAteer on loan from Leicester City, and after taking a place on the bench on Saturday, the 20-year-old midfielder could now contend for a start.
Though his nation have now exited the Africa Cup of Nations at the quarter-final stage, Gambia international Ebou Adams is not expected to return from Cameroon in time to feature, but has at least recovered from an injury sustained in the previous round.
Meanwhile, leading the line in Forest Green's familiar 3-5-2 formation will be Matthew Stevens and Jamille Matt, who have registered a combined total of 33 goals this season and were both on the mark at the weekend.
Port Vale blooded two new signings on Saturday, as winger Joel Cooper came off the bench and on-loan Ipswich goalkeeper Tomas Holy started the match - the latter keeping a clean sheet on his debut.
Both could start in midweek, but Jake Taylor remains sidelined with a thigh injury and fellow midfielder Tom Conlon is set to be ruled out due to an Achilles problem.
Darrell Clarke is seeking to secure the signing of another defender before the transfer window closes, after Lewis Cass was ruled out for the rest of the season and James Gibbons picked up an injury which could keep him out for a fortnight. However, Tuesday would probably be too soon for any new acquisition to be involved.
Port Vale possible starting lineup:
Holy; Smith, Martin, Hall; Worrall, Pett, Walker, Garrity, Hussey; Amoo, Wilson
Forest Green Rovers possible starting lineup:
McGee; Godwin-Malife, Moore-Taylor, Cargill; Wilson, Stevenson, Hendry, Cadden; McAteer; Stevens, Matt
We say: Port Vale 1-2 Forest Green Rovers
While Port Vale enjoy home advantage, Forest Green have been largely unstoppable since the turn of the year and should be sufficiently equipped to maintain their stunning success streak on the road.
A potent strikeforce and several options on the bench mean that Rob Edwards has all the tools at his disposal to break down a generally resolute home side.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
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 Forest Green Rovers win with a probability of 44.8%. A win for Port Vale had a probability of 28.92% and a draw had a probability of 26.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Forest Green Rovers win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.31%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9%) and 0-2 (8.15%). The likeliest Port Vale win was 1-0 (8.66%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.48%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.5% likelihood.
