Struggling Salford City and Tranmere Rovers are separated by a point in the League Two table heading into Boxing Day's meeting at Moor Lane.
The home side go into gameweek 24 without a win in two months, while their opponents have secured important points recently to move ahead of Tuesday's hosts.
Match preview
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Neil Wood's team had a decent start to the 2023-24 campaign, but they have gone off the rails since October, falling to defeats left, right and centre.
Even though Salford were not perfect in the embryonic parts of the season, one defeat in six games (four wins) two months back looked promising.
However, the Greater Manchester outfit have not picked up maximum points in the subsequent seven matches, playing out three draws and losing four.
Wood's side hope to halt the ongoing run that has seen them fail to record victories in precisely two months, even if they must rise above a wretched home record (nine points) that is outdone by all but one side in the competition — Forest Green Rovers (eight points).
Without a home victory since defeating playoff-chasing Crewe Alexandra on October 7, Salford seek to end that unwanted sequence of results.
By contrast, the visitors are in a rich vein of form, underscored by how recent results have taken them above Salford in the table, with four wins in their last seven League Two games.
Only one defeat has been recorded in that time, pointing to the away side's improvement under Nigel Adkins, who replaced Ian Dawes in September.
The Rovers have netted in six of the last seven games under Adkins, having previously fired blanks in three fixtures out of seven.
That ability to score puts Tranmere in good stead heading into Tuesday afternoon, with the travelling support expecting to see their side hit the target for the seventh time in eight games.
However, a result is far from guaranteed for the Rovers, who are still winless on the road this term — losing nine of 11 encounters.
Team News
Matt Smith should return to the side at centre-forward to replace Kelly N'Mai, with the towering striker keen to add to his 14 league goals for Salford, while Matthew Lund could return to the midfield ahead of Liam Humbles.
Those should be the major change for Wood, who should set up the home side in a 4-3-3.
Tom Davies and Kieron Morris were match-winners for the Rovers against Swindon Town, and both should keep their places in the team on Boxing Day.
Adkins's men suffered no reported injuries in the victory, pointing to the utilisation of a similar side that played on Saturday.
Salford City possible starting lineup:
Cairns; Ingram, Mariappa, Tilt, John; Lund, Watt, Watson; McLennan, Smith, McAleny
Tranmere Rovers possible starting lineup:
McGee; O'Connor, Davies, Turnbull, Wood; Apter, Walker, Hendry, Morris; Jennings, Saunders
We say: Salford City 1-1 Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere could get their third away point this term, enough to keep them ahead of Salford in League Two.
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