Two teams will be looking for an upturn in form on Tuesday evening in League One, when Bristol Rovers host Charlton Athletic at the Memorial Stadium.
The hosts have lost four consecutive league games and the away side will be looking to avoid a fourth defeat in six when they travel west to Bristol on Tuesday.
Match preview
© Imago
Bristol Rovers come into Tuesday's game after a miserable September which has seen the Pirates lose all four of their league games and ship 11 goals in the process.
Their most recent defeat was a 2-1 home loss against Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday, when late goals from Daniel Harvie and Joe Low cancelled out Scott Sinclair's early opener; leaving Matt Taylor's side languishing in the final relegation place in 21st.
One could argue that the fixture list has not been kind to Bristol Rovers though, with their other defeats this month coming against Barnsley, Peterborough United and Wigan Athletic, but the Pirates do have the unwanted record of having the worst xGA (1.60) in League One.
It most certainly has been a month to forget for the Pirates, but a new month and change of season brings new opportunities and in players like Ruel Sotiriou, Luke Thomas, Lino Sousa and Jake Garrett, there is plenty of quality within this side to soon push up the table if they can find some form.
There is also some room for optimism for Tuesday, as the Pirates's two victories so far this season have both come at home, with a 1-0 opening-day victory over Northampton Town and a 2-0 win against Cambridge United at the back end of August.
© Imago
Charlton also come into this game looking to get their season back on track after what was a very good start to the season for the Addicks.
After winning their first four league games without conceding a single goal, Charlton's form – similar to their hosts on Tuesday – has dipped over the last month, and they head into their game against Bristol Rovers with just one league victory in September.
Their most recent game was their 1-0 defeat against Stevenage on Saturday when Jordan Roberts's strike left Charlton reeling after consecutive league defeats, and the Addicks only have one clean sheet from their last six games in all competitions; a far cry from the defensive stability they had displayed in the formative weeks of the campaign.
With the likes of Birmingham City, Stockport County, Barnsley and Wrexham all to play before November rolls around, the importance of picking up three points this Tuesday cannot be understated.
Team News
© Imago
Bristol Rovers were rocked last month with the news that Chris Martin and Joel Senior will both be sidelined for a lengthy period of time, so it will be no surprise that both are ruled out again here.
Micah Anthony is also a doubt for the hosts as he looks to recover from the shoulder injury that ruled him out of the loss against Wycombe, but Taylor otherwise has a fully-fit squad which he had heavily rotated for the defeat on Saturday.
This means that there could be a recall for Promise Omochere to play alongside Sotiriou in attack, and Luke McCormick could also come in to play alongside Grant Ward or Jamie Lindsay in midfield.
For Charlton, Alex Mitchell returned from injury in the defeat to Stevenage and he could once again start in the back three alongside Lloyd Jones and Macaulay Gillesphey; the latter started the previous game on the bench.
Elsewhere, there could also be recalls for Chuks Aneke in attack and Luke Berry in the midfield as both players came off the bench in the Stevenage defeat, but star striker Gassan Ahadme is a doubt with a fractured nose.
Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:
Griffiths; Wilson, Taylor, Mola; Sousa, Lindsay, Conteh, Bilongo; Shaw; Sotiriou, Omochere
Charlton Athletic possible starting lineup:
Mannion; Mitchell, Jones, Gillesphey; Ramsay, Anderson, Coventry, Berry, Edwards; Aneke, Godden
We say: Bristol Rovers 1-1 Charlton Athletic
This is a tough game to predict as both sides are in need of giving their season a much-needed shot in the arm, but while Bristol Rovers are currently occupying the relegation places, Charlton's recent form and lack of clean sheets of late has to be of concern heading into Tuesday's game, so a share of the spoils could be on the cards.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
