Preview: Salford City vs Crewe Alexandra - prediction, team news, lineups

Salford City will be bidding to make the perfect start to their 2025-26 League Two campaign when they welcome Crewe Alexandra to Moor Lane on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts finished eighth in League Two last season, one point behind seventh-placed Cheltenham Town, while Crewe ended the campaign in 13th, seven points behind their opponents this weekend.

Match preview

Salford just fell short in terms of the League Two playoffs last season, ending the campaign in eighth position on 69 points, one point behind seventh-placed Chesterfield.

Karl Robinson's side are expected to make another strong push for the playoffs this term, and it has been a busy summer for the club, with a number of players leaving on free transfers.

Salford have focused on quality rather than quantity in terms of incomings, though, with Jorge Grant, Kadeem Harris and Mark Howard among those to arrive, while Sunderland's highly-rated teenage goalkeeper Matthew Young has also made the move on loan for the 2025-26 campaign.

The Ammies played a lot of football during pre-season, taking to the field on seven occasions, boasting a record of three wins and four draws, including a 1-1 with Stockport County last time out.

Both league matches between Salford and Crewe last season finished 1-1, but the former lead the overall head-to-head record between the two sides, boasting four victories to two.

Crewe were last in League One in 2021-22, with the team preparing for their fourth straight season in League Two, and they finished 13th last term after losing in the 2023-24 playoff final.

The Railwaymen boasted a record of 15 wins, 17 draws and 14 defeats from their 46 League One matches last term, with 62 points leaving them in 13th spot in the table, eight points off the playoff spots.

Lee Bell's side released five players at the end of June, while there have been seven incomings this summer, including Josh March, with the striker arriving from Harrogate Town.

Crewe have also managed to secure two Premier League loans during the summer market, with Tommi O'Reilly joining from Aston Villa, while Sam Waller has made the switch from Burnley.

The Railwaymen will be bidding to beat Salford for the first time since a 4-3 home success in March 2023, and they are chasing their first-ever away victory over the Greater Manchester side in this contest.

Salford City pre-season form:

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Crewe Alexandra pre-season form:

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Team News

Salford will have debutants in their starting side on Saturday, with Grant and Harris both expected to feature in the final third of the field, while Howard may be given the nod between the sticks.

Loick Ayina has also made the switch to the club from Huddersfield Town, and it is expected that the centre-back will be in the starting team for this match, while Cole Stockton is set to lead the line.

However, Josh Austerfield has been ruled out of the season opener due to an injury problem.

As for Crewe, Louis Moult could lead their line following his arrival from Dundee United.

There is also expected to be a spot in the starting side for attacker Emre Tezgel, who has made the move to Crewe on loan from Stoke City for the 2025-26 campaign.

However, 21-year-old Joel Tabiner is out of the match due to a muscular issue, while Zac Williams is unlikely to be included, as he is involved in a contract stand-off with the club.

Salford City possible starting lineup:

Howard; Edwards, Ayina, Cesar, Longelo; Woodburn, Ashley, Henderson; Grant, Stockton, Harris

Crewe Alexandra possible starting lineup:

Booth; Billington, Connolly, Demetriou, Finney; Lankester, Holicek, O'Reilly; Moult, Bogle, Tezgel

We say: Salford City 1-0 Crewe Alexandra

This is a really tough match to call, as last season's League Two table shows that there is not much between the two teams. However, home advantage should be enough for Salford to secure all three points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.