Two teams at opposite ends of the League Two table will meet on Saturday when 18th-placed Carlisle United welcome Bristol Rovers to Brunton Park.

The hosts shall be looking to continue pushing away from the relegation zone, while the Pirates have the potential of moving into the automatic promotion spots, depending on other results.

Match preview

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Carlisle United have drastically improved their form recently, having only lost once in their previous six outings, which has allowed them to climb out of the relegation zone.

New manager Paul Simpson has made a serious impact since taking over, guiding the club away from the threat of relegation, as they now sit 12 points ahead of the bottom two.

During their recent run, Carlisle have won five matches, keeping two clean sheets while scoring at least two goals in all the games they have won, which is a stark contrast to how they had been performing.

The Blues had only won six games all season until this period, which highlights the major difference, and that is something the squad will be looking to continue in the run-in.

The club defeated Barrow in their most recent outing, in a game that finished 2-1 with goals from Jordan Gibson and Kristian Dennis, which immediately got them back to winning ways after a defeat.

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The visitors are also in fine form at the moment, having been victorious in their previous four matches, and they have kept three clean sheets in that period, showcasing their defensive qualities.

Bristol Rovers have only lost six times on the road this season, and that will no doubt be boosting their confidence heading into this fixture where they are away from home again.

Their most recent outing saw them playing outside of their stadium as they travelled to Northampton Town, and they set the standard immediately when Harry Anderson scored in the first minute.

The game finished in that manner, with the Pirates shutting the door immediately, which is something they will be hoping to continue doing this weekend.

Bristol Rovers did not concede a goal when they met Carlisle earlier this season, winning that meeting 3-0 through goals from Antony Evans, Sam Nicholson and Harvey Saunders, a result they would like to repeat.

Team News

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Brennan Dickenson was able to start in midweek, and that was only the second time that had happened since his injury, which proves that he is getting himself back to full fitness.

However, the Blues will be missing Jamie Devitt, who is not set to play again this season due to a hamstring strain, which is something that Simpson will need to adapt with.

Joey Barton has named an unchanged starting lineup across Bristol Rovers' four last games, and it is unlikely he will make any alterations here unless a late fitness issue crops up.

This should see the Gas setup with a 4-1-4-1 formation as Aaron Collins leads the line for the team, and Paul Coutts works as the defensive midfielder, sitting in front of the back four.

Carlisle United possible starting lineup:
Howard; Riley, Simeu, Feeney, Mellish, Armer; Dickenson, Guy, Gibson; Dennis, Patrick

Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:
Belshaw; Hoole, Taylor, Connolly, Anderton; Coutts, H. Anderson, Evans, Finley, E. Anderson; Collins

We say: Carlisle United 0-1 Bristol Rovers

Both teams head into this match in vastly different league positions, but they are in great form, picking up results on a regular basis, while they have defended well.

They have each been picking up clean sheets as of late, and that could lead to this match being quite a closely-contested one that the visitors will likely just edge.

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