Lincoln City are back on the road on Saturday afternoon as they make the long journey south to face Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium.
Both sides made it through to the Emirates FA Cup second round, with both sides booking their places at the expense of non-league sides. The Imps cruised to a 4-0 win at Chesham United, while Rovers needed extra time to get past Weston Super Mare in a 3-1 home win.
Opposition: Bristol Rovers
The Gas have had a mixed start to the campaign, with Matt Taylor’s side sitting in 17th place in Sky Bet League One. Despite the shaky start, Rovers have won three of their last five games.
In Sky Bet League One, Bristol Rovers have the second highest xG conceded (23.4), only behind strugglers Shrewsbury Town (24.2).
Team News:
City head coach Michael Skubala confirmed that the side that played at Chesham United all came through the FA Cup tie without injury.
However, defender Tom Hamer has undergone surgery and will be out of action for a few months it was confirmed. Adam Jackson also remains sidelined for the next few weeks as he continues his recovery.
Forward Tyler Walker will also return to the grass within the next week as he edges closer to another City return.
As for the hosts, James Wilson has made a recovery from a knock taken from last weekend to be in contention for the game on Saturday. Forward Promise Omochere is touch and go for the tie tomorrow afternoon, as he returns from an ankle knock.
Others still remain sidelined for the Gas, including another forward Gatlin O’Donkor, with the Oxford United loanee now experiencing a month out of action.
Head-to-Head:
Saturday’s tie between the two sides will be the 50th time that they have met competitively, with the first encounter ending in a 1-0 away victory for the Imps in 1953.
Overall, Lincoln City have the slightly better record when it comes to the head-to-head, beating Rovers 20 times. The Gas have experienced victories 19 times, with draws coming on ten occasions.
City are unbeaten in five games against Rovers coming into the fixture, with the last defeat coming at home in October 2020. The Imps have not tasted defeat at Bristol Rovers since the League Two play-off campaign of 2007.
Played for Both:
Rovers’ goalkeeper Josh Griffiths, currently on loan from West Bromwich Albion had a loan spell at the Imps during the 2021/22 season, making 35 appearances.
Others to have appeared for both include Lee Thorpe, who was in the south west in 1997 and went on to make 233 appearances for the Imps, scoring 67 times.
Kevin Austin was another to feature amongst both ranks, making 128 appearances for City over a three-year spell in the late 1990s. Later in his career, the defender travelled south to Bristol Rovers where he made a further 56 appearances between 2002-2004.