Forest Green Rovers host Grimsby Town this weekend, with both sides struggling near the bottom of League Two. The Green Devils are unbeaten in the last five meetings, winning four of them.
Forest Green
Forest Green were relegated from League One last season and after 16 matches in the lower division, they sit second from bottom on an abysmal 13 points. It is evident that they struggle at both ends of the field, which has led to the side losing 11 matches. The Green Devils have netted the third fewest goals in League Two, 18, whilst also conceding the joint second most per game, which on average is 1.88. However, David Horseman's team have actually picked up almost half their points tally in the last four matches, winning twice against Colchester and Crawley.
Last time out in League Two, Forest Green suffered a 3-0 away defeat to Tranmere Rovers, who after that game overtook the visitors in the table on goal difference. The tie was huge and a win would have separated them from the bottom two, but an own goal and a red card were the turning points of the game.
Grimsby
Grimsby were struggling massively towards the end of Paul Hurst's time at the helm and they suffered four straight League Two defeats prior to his departure. The Mariners lacked belief in attack and in defence, but their overall statistics were not alarmingly poor, scoring 23 times and conceding 28 goals in 17 matches. That said, football is a results based game. The side currently sit in 21st place, four points above the relegation places.
Luckily, brighter days could potentially be on the way and under Shaun Pearson, they won their recent game in the league, albeit in unconvincing fashion. After two minutes, it looked as though it would be another defeat as Morecambe took the lead. It was 1-0 to the visitors at half-time, but by the hour mark, Grimsby were 3-1 up. The hosts held on to claim a vital 3-2 win.
Verdict?
The Grimsby faithful will view this game as a must win and the team can take confidence from their recent victory. The mood in the Forest Green camp will be slightly dull, but they are aware of just how important this game could be. Both teams go into the game off the back of FA Cup replay victories. A home win is 29/20, a draw is 12/5 and a Grimsby win is priced at 13/8.
The final prediction is Forest Green 1-1 Grimsby.
