Lincoln City begin their Emirates FA Cup 2025/26 campaign with a trip to face SkyBet League Two side Salford City for the first time ever in a competitive match.
The Imps kick-start their FA Cup campaign off the back of a 0-0 draw against promotion chasing Bradford City in SkyBet League One, moving Michael Skubala’s side up to fifth in the league.
City had four shots on target that game compared to the hosts three, the best chance for the Imps coming when an unmarked James Collins fired over from inside the box early doors.
On that game, head coach Michael Skubala said: “It’s important that we need to hit the target more but we’re creating chances.
“We had complete control in the first half and could have even created a few more chances, we’ll go through moments where we need to put more away, but there’s no crisis for me.”
Lincoln made it to the third round last year after beating Chesham United and Crawley Town but eventually lost to Birmingham City.
Opponents: Salford City
The Ammies currently sit in third place in League Two, battling for promotion to the third tier of English football after finishing eighth last season.
Karl Robinson’s side are currently on a two game win streak after previously losing three games in a row, securing all three points over Oldham Athletic and Gillingham to make it 25 points from 14 games in the league.
Salford will look to their main man Daniel Udoh if they are to cause an upset tomorrow, the Nigerian forward is the club’s top goalscorer and assister this season, with four of each in all competitions.
Last campaign the Manchester based side reached the third round for the first time in their history, being thrashed by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the landmark game.
Team News:
There has been little change to City’s team news from Tuesday’s draw with Bradford City as Adam Reach returned to the side after he missed out in the loss against Leyton Orient.
Skubala hinted that there may be some rotation to his team on Saturday when he said: “It’s about balancing the conflicting priorities of the league.
“The FA Cup is a special competition, but there is always the opportunity to give some players a chance that comes from needing to rest or little niggles.
“It’s important to find that balance because the reality is, we want to do well in cup competitions so we want to put a team on the pitch that we think can win the game.”
Played for Both:
City’s current back-up goalkeeper Zach Jeacock is a notable name to feature for both sides, enjoying a loan spell at Salford in the 2021-22 season where he made one appearance before joining Lincoln on a permanent deal in 2024.
Another current Lincoln player to feature for both sides is Frankie Okoronkwo, who has been loaned out to both sides across the last two season by his parent club Everton.
Other names to have played for both Lincoln and Salford include Bruno Andrade, Hakeeb Adelakun and Michael O’Connor.