Two League Two sides go head to head in round two of the EFL Trophy as Salford City play host to Bradford City at the Peninsula Stadium on Tuesday.
Neil Wood's men head into the midweek matchup without a win in any of their most recent six matches on home turf across all competitions and will be looking to end this dry spell.
Match preview
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Salford City failed to find their feet in League Two as they dropped to ninth place in the standings following a 4-1 loss against Carlisle United when the sides squared off on Saturday.
After trailing at half time courtesy of Kristian Dennis's third-minute opener, Matt Smith restored parity in the 52nd minute, but Callum Anthony Guy and Corey Whelan put the visitors in a two-goal lead before Dennis completed the rout in the 80th minute.
Prior to that, Wood's side suffered a disappointing first-round exit from the FA Cup on November 16 when they fell to a 3-0 loss against Peterborough United courtesy of Ephron Mason-Clarke's 39th-minute strike and a second-half brace from Jack Marriott.
They have now failed to win any of their last six matches across all competitions, picking up two draws and losing four since October's 2-0 victory over Hartlepool United at Victoria Park.
The Ammies now turn their attention to the EFL Trophy, where they enjoyed an unbeaten group-stage campaign, claiming seven points from their three matches to secure top spot in Group D.
After kicking off their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Liverpool Under-21 on August 30, Salford City secured consecutive penalty shootout victories over Accrington Stanley and Rochdale in their final two matches to book their place in the knockout stages.
Bradford City, on the other hand, were denied a third league victory on the bounce for the first time since September as they fell to a 3-1 defeat against Northampton Town at the Northern Commercials Stadium on Saturday.
Mitchell Pinnock, Shaun McWilliams and Sam Sherring all found the back of the net to put the visitors in a commanding lead before Andy Cook grabbed a 92nd-minute consolation from the penalty spot.
Prior to that, the Bantams picked up a 2-1 victory at Mansfield Town on November 8 to end their five-game winless run before seeing off Sutton Town 2-0 at the Borough Sports Ground four days later.
Mark Hughes's men will now be looking to return to winning ways in the EFL Trophy, where they finished runners-up in Group H with four points from a possible nine after failing to win their final two matches.
Bradford City, who are currently fifth in the League Two table, head into Tuesday unbeaten in seven of their last eight away games across all competitions, claiming six wins and one draw since August's 1-0 loss at Colchester United.
Team News
Salford City will take to the pitch without the services of Liam Shephard, who has been sidelined since picking up a knee injury against Mansfield Town back in July.
Veteran midfielder Jason Lowe has missed the last 11 matches through injury, while 26-year-old Stephen Mallan is yet to feature this season following a pre-season injury against Blackpool.
Meanwhile, Bradford City will have to make do without 26-year-old midfielder Emmanuel Osadebe, who has been out of action since coming off injured in July's league opener against Doncaster Rovers.
He is joined on the club's injury table by Jamie Walker, who continues his long road to full fitness after also picking up an injury in July.
With his strike against Northampton Town, Cook has now scored in three consecutive matches and we expect the experienced striker to spearhead the visitors' attack once again.
Salford City possible starting lineup:
King; Nartey, Vassell, Leak, Touray; Jenkins, Watt, Bailey; Tolaj, Smith, Hendry
Bradford City possible starting lineup:
Lewis; Halliday Songo'o, Platt, Foulds; Gilliead, Smallwood; Banks, Chapman, Eisa; Cook
We say: Salford City 1-2 Bradford City
Salford City have suffered a drop-off in recent weeks and will head into Tuesday in search of a much-needed victory. However, Bradford City have found a means to grind out results on the road and will look to keep the ball rolling. We predict an end-to-end affair on Tuesday with the visitors claiming a slender victory.
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Top tip
Joshua Ojele
