Preview: Swindon Town vs. Bristol Rovers

League One outfit Bristol Rovers will head to League Two Swindon Town on Tuesday evening, with the two teams set to face off in Southern Group G of the EFL Trophy.

Bristol Rovers drew 3-3 with Tottenham Under-21s in their first match of the competition, while Swindon suffered a 2-1 defeat to Exeter City, which has left them at the bottom of the section.

Match preview

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Swindon appeared on course to claim a point against Exeter in their opening match of the competition last month, but they conceded a second in the 81st minute of the contest to suffer a 2-1 defeat.

It was an eighth straight defeat in the EFL Trophy for Swindon, with their last win in this competition coming at home to Newport County in November 2021.

Mark Kennedy‘s side will enter Tuesday’s clash off the back of a goalless draw with Harrogate Town in League Two, with the result leaving them in 21st position in the table on eight points.

The Robins finished 19th in the fourth tier last season and appear in line for another tough campaign, picking up just two points from their last four matches, and they will next be in League Two action away to Cheltenham Town next weekend.

Swindon last locked horns with Bristol Rovers in October 2022, with that contest also taking place in the EFL Trophy, and they were beaten 3-0 by Tuesday’s opponents.

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Bristol Rovers, meanwhile, played out a pulsating 3-3 draw with Tottenham Under-21s in their opening match in Southern Group G, before losing the resulting penalty shootout.

As a result, the League One team are third in the section on one point, while Tottenham Under-21s are second on two points from two matches, and Exeter have six points from their first two games.

Bristol Rovers will enter this match off the back of a 3-1 success over Burton Albion on Saturday afternoon, which made it back-to-back wins in the league, having also beaten Charlton Athletic on October 1.

Matt Taylor‘s side are 18th in the League One table, boasting a record of four wins, one draw and five defeats from their opening 10 matches of the season to collect 13 points.

Bristol Rovers have actually lost three of their last five games against Swindon in all competitions, but they will be the favourites heading into Tuesday’s fixture in the EFL Trophy.

Swindon Town EFL Trophy form:

Swindon Town form (all competitions):

Bristol Rovers EFL Trophy form:

Bristol Rovers form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Swindon head coach Kennedy is expected to name a similar if not identical side to the one that took to the field for the first whistle against Exeter in the competition last time out.

As a result, a number of the players that started Saturday’s clash with Harrogate should keep their spots, with a 3-5-2 formation set to include Aaron Drinan and Kabongo Tshimanga in the final third of the field.

As for Bristol Rovers, Chris Martin is set to lead the line, with head coach Taylor preparing to make wholesale changes to the side that started against Burton Albion.

Micah Anthony is yet to take to the field in the league this season, but the 20-year-old should be given another chance to impress in the EFL Trophy clash on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Kofi Shaw is also set to be among the starters for the visitors in this cup fixture.

Swindon Town possible starting lineup:
Barden; Sobowale, Minturn, Wright, Freckleton, Cain; Cotterill, Kilkenny, Butterworth; Tshimanga, Drinan

We say: Swindon Town 1-2 Bristol Rovers

Swindon are likely to name a strong side and are certainly capable of making this a tricky match for Bristol Rovers, but we believe that the visitors will be able to navigate their way to all three points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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