Two sides battling it out near the foot of the League Two standings meet on Saturday, as rock-bottom Scunthorpe United welcome Salford City to Glanford Park.
While the visitors have fared better in cup competitions over the past week, they are closer to the drop zone than the playoff places - sitting just five points above their troubled hosts.
Match preview
© Reuters
Under the experienced management of former Blackburn and Bradford boss Gary Bowyer, a slow start to League Two has surprised many observers who expected Salford to push on after just missing out on the playoffs last season.
The long-time non-league outfit have struggled to only four wins from their 15 league matches this term, and have picked up a solitary point from their last three league outings.
A goalless draw with local rivals Rochdale was followed by successive losses against leaders Forest Green Rovers and in-form Exeter City, as Salford slipped to 19th in the fourth-tier table.
Only a pair of wins in the cups during the past week have somewhat brightened the mood in Bowyer's camp before the return to league action on Saturday afternoon.
Days after beating Leeds United's youngsters in the EFL Trophy, the Ammies avoided an upset as they beat National League side Dagenham and Redbridge 1-0 in the FA Cup's first round; holding onto a third-minute lead earned by Jordan Turnbull's powerful header.
Safely into round two for a second consecutive season - though the club have never before made it as far as the third round - Salford can now turn their full attention to making up lost ground on the clubs above them in the early stages of the promotion race.
© Reuters
Thoughts of promotion could hardly be further from the minds of Salford's opponents this weekend, as Scunthorpe are rooted to the foot of the League Two table with nearly a third of the campaign played.
Their only two wins of the league season may have come at Glanford Park - they have garnered just four points on the road - but the Iron prepare for Salford's visit having lost back-to-back home matches at their Lincolnshire headquarters.
Former Rochdale boss Keith Hill's arrival failed to have the desired effect during his debut in the dugout, as his new side lost 1-0 to Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup first round last weekend. That was swiftly followed by another setback, when they went down 3-2 to the same opposition in EFL Trophy Group E - where they finished stone-last and pointless - in midweek.
Scunthorpe's board lost patience with Hill's predecessor Neil Cox, who was recently dismissed after his team's sluggish start to the season, and the former now faces an uphill task in helping the club retain their League Two status.
His greatest challenge will be to shore up a defence which has leaked at least three more goals than any other side in the division; though they also find the net themselves at a rate of less than one per game.
- L
- L
- L
- D
- W
- L
- L
- D
- W
- L
- L
- L
- L
- W
- D
- L
- L
- D
- W
- D
- L
- L
- W
- W
Team News
After pairing veteran striker Ian Henderson and Aramide Oteh up front in the FA Cup last weekend, Salford may be set to return Tom Elliott to the team as their centre-forward on Saturday. Brandon Thomas-Asante is also likely to be drafted back in on the wing.
Goalkeeper Connor Ripley, who excelled against Dagenham, will once more provide the visitors' last line of defence, behind a defence helmed by captain Ashley Eastham. Currently on international duty with the Republic of Ireland, young winger Tyreik Wright is unavailable.
Meanwhile, Scunthorpe are poised to revert to a more familiar starting XI, following a series of personnel changes for the EFL Trophy loss to Doncaster.
Therefore, Ryan Loft should resume his central role up front, while Mason O'Malley is poised to return at left-back in Keith Hill's probable 4-3-3 formation.
Scunthorpe United possible starting lineup:
Watson; Rowe, Onariase, Taft, O'Malley; Hackney, Perry, Beestin; Scrimshaw, Loft, Hippolyte
Salford City possible starting lineup:
Ripley; Shephard, Eastham, Turnbull, Touray; Lowe, Lund; Thomas-Asante, Willock, Morris; Elliott
We say: Scunthorpe United 0-1 Salford City
As neither side are proficient inside the opposition penalty area, this is set to be a close-fought affair which may be decided by a single goal.
A confidence boost from recent results can help Salford over the line and ease the pressure growing on both players and staff. Meanwhile, a season-long scrap for survival could be on the cards for their hapless hosts.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Salford City win with a probability of 56.65%. A draw had a probability of 25.3% and a win for Scunthorpe United had a probability of 18.02%.
The most likely scoreline for a Salford City win was 0-1 with a probability of 15.32%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (12%) and 1-2 (9.1%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.61%), while for a Scunthorpe United win it was 1-0 (7.41%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 11.6% likelihood.
