Bristol Rovers have enjoyed a fine run in League One of late, but attention briefly turns back to the EFL Trophy on Tuesday when Swindon Town visit the Mem in the final game of the group stages.
The Gas are well placed to book their spot in the knockout stages after taking four points from their opening two games in the competition, and a win over Crystal Palace under-21s a fortnight ago served as a catalyst for the subsequent three-match winning run in the league.
Swindon have already been eliminated from the competition, so a victory will be enough to secure at least second place in Group M, which would mean an away tie in the second round. Should Palace fail to get a win at Home Park against Plymouth Argyle, the Gas will also advance to the knockout phase.
"It won’t be a team of young kids, albeit we might have to put one or two in there, and we’ll be playing as strong a team that is necessary, to try and get lads minutes and get through, if we can, but also the priority will be the league campaign against Plymouth on Saturday and getting back in front of our fans at the Mem." Rovers manager Joey Barton said when asked about his plans for Tuesday's game. With that in mind, here is how the Gas could line up this evening...
What XI would you select? Have your say in the comments section below...
Goalkeeper and defence
James Belshaw has been rested for both games so far in this competition and he will be on the bench again this evening. Anssi Jaakkola will get a chance to start in goal, with Jed Ward unavailable due to a broken hand.
Barton has not been too fussed about tactics in the previous two Trophy games, instead freeing the minds of his players to go and express themselves without too much information to worry about. Should he have the same view for this game, the setup could be pretty straightforward.
Luca Hoole has been on the bench for the past couple of games and the Welshman is a likely starter at right-back, with Trevor Clarke – who scored in the previous Trophy game – set to come in for Lewis Gordon on the left. In the middle, Alfie Kilgour will hope for another positive outing in this competition after opening the scoring against Crystal Palace under-21s earlier this month, although he will hope he comes through the game injury free after sustaining a concussion last time out.
Alongside him, James Connolly has been earmarked to return in this game after recovering from a stress fracture in his back. Whether he starts remains to be seen, but he should play some part.
Lewis Gordon, Lewis Gibson, James Gibbons and Bobby Thomas are likely starters for Saturday's game against Plymouth, so they will probably drop out of the starting XI for this game, although some may be needed on the bench.
Midfield
Glenn Whelan likely would have played in this game, but the veteran midfielder is suspended after a straight red card in the Palace game. Therefore, Luke McCormick and Zain Westbrooke appear the likely midfield starters. McCormick was back on the bench for the win at Cheltenham after starting at MK Dons a week ago, so some miles in his legs before Saturday's game could be ideal.
Westbrooke, meanwhile, plays the majority of his games for the Gas in this competition these days and this will be a rare chance for the midfielder to showcase his abilities in a match situation.
Out wide, Harry Anderson and Sylvester Jasper are likely to be included. Both have big roles to play in the squad, offering speed and a bit of variety to the manager's options, but they have almost exclusively played from the bench of late and a start would serve them both well.
It will be no surprise if Antony Evans, Paul Coutts, Sam Finley and Jordan Rossiter are rested with a tricky trio of league games on the horizon. Youngster Jerry Lawrence is set to miss out with a groin injury.
Attack
The state of the squad is vastly improved compared to a month ago, with the injury list almost cleared, and now Barton has the luxury of players who will be champing at the bit for minutes on the pitch. Harvey Saunders is a prime example, with the speedster falling to fifth in the striking pecking order. He should feature this evening.
Alongside the former Fleetwood Town striker could be Josh Coburn. Barton will certainly rest Aaron Collins ahead of Saturday and Ryan Loft could sit this one out, too. Coburn, though, played as a second-half substitute at Cheltenham and will fancy a runout this evening with hopes of adding to his maiden goal for the Gas against Cambridge United 10 days ago.
John Marquis is set to be ruled out with a knee injury. Ryan Jones could play some part as a substitute.
Rovers (4-4-2): Jaakkola, Hoole, Kilgour, Connolly, Clarke; Anderson, Westbrooke, McCormick, Jasper; Coburn, Saunders.
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