Cheltenham Town host league leaders Salford City at Whaddon Road this Saturday in a key League Two fixture. The Robins, sitting fourth with 15 points from nine games, are just one point behind their visitors in the table.
Their form has been mixed, with a 2-0 away loss to Accrington Stanley last time out halting momentum from a 2-1 home win over Chesterfield. Before that, they drew with Colchester and Exeter City and won away at Crawley Town. Salford City, in contrast, are unbeaten in their last three league games, including a 4-1 win at Oldham and a 1-0 victory over Fleetwood Town.
Manager Darrell Clarke will be looking for a response from his side after the Accrington defeat. The team's recent home form has been stronger, and a win would see them leapfrog Salford into top spot. The full schedule of upcoming games is on our fixtures page.
Cheltenham's last starting lineup featured Will Stanway in goal, with a back four of Jonathan Tomkinson, Robert Cundy, Paul Sweeney and Jamie Tomlinson. Josh Shipley and Ben Stevenson anchored the midfield, with Joe Evans, Charlie McCann and Ryan Broom supporting striker Andreas Weimann. Salford's most recent side lined up in a 3-1-4-2, with Louie Burge protected by a back three of Alex Oluwo, Brandon Cooper and Zachariah Awe.
Kick-off is at 3pm on Saturday, October 10. The match represents a direct opportunity for Cheltenham to take control of the early-season title race. Their average of 1.33 goals per game will be tested by a Salford defence that has conceded just 0.78 goals per match on average.
