Both aiming to strengthen their positions at the top end of the League Two table in the early stages of the season, Doncaster Rovers and Gillingham will do battle at the Eco-Power Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts moved onto nine points with a third victory of the season last time out, while their visitors are one point better off in top spot following an unbeaten start.
Match preview
© Imago
Doncaster Rovers will look to move to the summit of the League Two table on Saturday, having enjoyed a fast start to the season under the management of Grant McCann.
After taking fifth spot late last term and falling short in the playoffs, the Yorkshire outfit set their sights on a sustained promotion bid this time around, and they have earned nine points from their first four outings.
Following an opening-day 4-1 beating of Accrington Stanley and a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Newport County, McCann's men head into the weekend on the back of consecutive three-point hauls, firstly beating Morecambe 1-0 before visiting Everton in the EFL Cup and bowing out after a 3-0 loss.
A trip to Port Vale then followed last weekend and Rovers bounced back with another fourth-tier triumph, having gone 3-1 up through a Luke Molyneux brace and a Billy Sharp goal and saw out a narrow 3-2 victory in the dying minutes after Ethan Chislett pulled one back for the hosts.
Now on the back of a 2-1 EFL Trophy win over third-tier Huddersfield Town in a busy schedule, thanks to goals from Ephraim Yeboah and Joe Ironside, Doncaster Rovers certainly head into the weekend with plenty of momentum and will bid to further cement their position among League Two's frontrunners with another three-point haul.
They arguably face their toughest test yet, though, as the visitors arrive aiming to move clear at the summit of the table and maintain one of the division's three remaining unbeaten records.
Following a 12th-placed finish last time around, Gillingham headed into the 2024-25 term under the new management of Mark Bonner with the aim of mounting a sustained promotion bid of their own, and they have enjoyed a pleasing start having not yet tasted defeat in four outings in England's fourth tier.
The Gills got off the mark with consecutive victories over Carlisle United and Morecambe, scoring five goals and only conceding once along the way, before dropping points for the first time in a goalless draw away at Fleetwood Town.
Another tough test against fellow promotion-chasers Chesterfield then followed last weekend, and Bonner's men prevailed at Priestfield, seeing out a 1-0 victory thanks to Robbie McKenzie's eighth-minute opener, despite playing the final 30 minutes with 10 men following Max Ehmer's red card.
Having quickly established themselves in League Two's leading pack thanks to that impressive start, largely down to their tight defensive record, Gillingham, on the back of an EFL Trophy loss to Peterborough United in midweek, will aim to make it 13 points from five league outings on Saturday to further strengthen their standing.
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Team News
After rotating his Doncaster Rovers squad heavily for their midweek EFL Trophy tie, Grant McCann could revert to the same starting XI from last week's win away at Port Vale, with defenders James Maxwell and Chris Wood remaining sidelined by injuries.
Joe Ironside and Ephraim Yeboah laid claims for attacking spots with goals against Huddersfield Town, but veteran Billy Sharp should again get the nod to lead the line with support from the dangerous trio of Luke Molyneux, Harry Clifton and Jordan Gibson.
Molyneux has already notched up five goals so far this term while Sharp has three to his name, and behind the dangerous front line, Zain Westbrooke and Owen Bailey should again partner up in the engine room despite competition from Ben Close.
Mark Bonner will also look to field a similar Gillingham starting XI from last week's 1-0 victory over Chesterfield, although he is unable to call on key defender Max Ehmer who is suspended after being sent off in that contest.
Alex Giles should take his place in the middle of the back four, while Armani Little and Robbie McKenzie are bound to reform their midfield partnership.
Eliott Nevitt returned from an injury setback to feature off the bench against Peterborough United in midweek and will challenge Marcus Wyllie to lead the attack, while Jonny Williams and Bradley Dack will compete to come into the supporting trio, with the latter having returned to the club after seven years away with Blackburn and Sunderland.
Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:
Sharman-Lowe; Sterry, Anderson, McGrath, Fleming; Westbrooke, Bailey; Molyneux, Clifton, Gibson; Sharp
Gillingham possible starting lineup:
Morris; Hutton, Ogie, Giles, Clark; McKenzie, Little; Nolan, Lapslie, Rowe; Nevitt
We say: Doncaster Rovers 2-1 Gillingham
We anticipate a hard-fought encounter between two of League Two's strongest sides on Saturday, and with home advantage and an abundance of quality, Doncaster Rovers could be the team to end Gillingham's unbeaten start.
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Sam Varley
