A crucial battle at the bottom end of the League One table will take place at the Keepmoat Stadium on Saturday, as Doncaster Rovers entertain Gillingham.

The two sides currently sit 23rd and 22nd, four and three points adrift of safety respectively.

Match preview

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Following a poor first half to the season, Doncaster Rovers' hopes of survival in League One looked all but gone, but they have kept themselves in the fight recently.

With a run of seven games producing 10 points in February, Gary McSheffrey's side were able to jump off the foot of the division, as they picked up impressive wins over Sunderland, Lincoln City and Accrington Stanley.

Last month culminated in a slightly disappointing 2-2 draw with fellow strugglers AFC Wimbledon, before the Reds' chance of survival took a major hit last weekend as they were thrashed 4-0 by Cheltenham Town.

An Alfie May brace and goals from Ben Williams and Mattie Pollock condemned McSheffrey's side to a demoralising defeat, leaving them four points adrift in a division from which four sides are relegated every season.

With just nine league games left to play, the Yorkshire outfit will know that they cannot rest on their improved recent form if they are to stand a chance of avoiding the drop and must continue to pick up victories in the final run of the campaign, starting with Saturday's crucial clash against a rival in that battle.

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The visitors find themselves in a similar position, as the Gills have a three-point gap to bridge.

A poor run since late October saw Saturday's visitors dragged deep into the relegation scrap, although they looked to have improved with victories over Crewe Alexandra, Cambridge United and Lincoln City across a seven-game span in February following the appointment of Neil Harris.

That most recent win was followed by a harmful loss of their own last time out, as the Priestfield outfit were thrashed 3-0 by Bolton Wanderers courtesy of goals from Aaron Morley, Declan John and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson.

As a result, the Gills remain three points adrift of safety with 10 games left to play, making Saturday's meeting a true six-pointer as both teams look to crawl closer to safety.

Team News

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Doncaster Rovers will be without experienced midfielder Adam Clayton, who is suspended for the weekend's game after he was sent off in their defeat to Cheltenham.

In his absence, Ethan Galbraith could return to the starting XI as a midfield anchor alongside Matthew Smith and Danny Gardner.

Attackers Kieran Agard, Joe Dodoo and Reo Griffiths will all be challenging for starts, while Norwich City loanee Josh Martin is likely to keep his place on the left-hand side of a front three.

Gillingham have a suspension of their own to deal with, after midfielder Daniel Phillips was shown a red card last time out.

Despite suffering a 3-0 defeat, the back three of Max Ehmer, Jack Tucker and Conor Masterson should remain untouched, while Vadaine Oliver will likely continue to lead the line, having hit seven league goals so far this term.

Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:
Mitchell; Knoyle, Williams, Olowu, Jackson; Smith, Galbraith, Gardner; Rowe, Dodoo, Martin

Gillingham possible starting lineup:
Chapman; Ehmer, Masterson, Tucker; Jackson, O'Keefe, Reeves, McKenzie; Carayol, Oliver, Thompson

We say: Doncaster Rovers 2-1 Gillingham

Given the major importance of the meeting in the battle for survival, we expect this to be a cagey affair and just give the edge to the hosts.

McSheffrey's side have looked far more competent recently, and, if they are able to lift the mood in the camp after a heavy defeat, they could have enough to secure all three points with home advantage.

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