Kyle Dempsey, Alex MacDonald and John Akinde all racing to be fit for season opener.
Gillingham v Lincoln City
Sky Bet League One
MEMS Priestfield Stadium
Saturday August 7th
Kick-Off, 3pm
Team News:
Steve Evans will be hoping that Ryan Jackson and Robbie McKenzie will be available in some capacity ahead of Saturday’s game.
Kyle Dempsey, Alex MacDonald and Ben Reeves were all left out of the pre-season loss to Norwich on Tuesday as precautions. They will require fitness tests to ensure they are ready to feature.
Lincoln will be without Chris Maguire and Southampton loanee Dan Nlundulu on Saturday. Both need more time to recover from injuries. Manchester City loanee Lewis Fiorini will be fit to travel.
Defender Joe Walsh may not be available until October, Michael Appleton confirmed, as he takes extra precautions with the defender.
Manager Comments:
Steve Evans - “I look at Lincoln now, and I think they’re much stronger now as a team. They may have lost one or two very gifted individuals that they had on loan, but I think they’re much better as a team now with the signings that they’ve made.”
Michael Appleton - “We’re coming up against a side with a direct style. They get the team organised and they’re hard to play against.
“I hope the players embrace having fans back. Our home form was mixed and I felt the atmosphere could have been our twelfth man at times.”
Previous Meetings:
16/03/2021 - Lincoln City 0-3 Gillingham - Sky Bet League One
05/02/2021 - Gillingham 0-3 Lincoln City - Sky Bet League One
22/02/2020 - Lincoln City 0-0 Gillingham - Sky Bet League One
16/11/2019 - Gillingham 1-0 Lincoln City - Sky Bet League One
09/04/2011 - Lincoln City 0-4 Gillingham - Sky Bet League Two
The last meeting between the two sides came in March of this year. Gills got their revenge following the 3-0 loss to the Imps at Priestfield and beat them by the same scoreline at the LNER Stadium. Goals from Vadaine Oliver, Kyle Dempsey and Jordan Graham ensured a memorable away win for Steve Evans’ men.
The last Gillingham win against Lincoln at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium came in November 2019. Mikael Mandron scored the only goal of the game, finishing from close-range in the 24th minute. He almost scored a second towards the end, but his header hit the corner of the woodwork.
Odds:
Gillingham win- 2/1
Draw- 11/5
Lincoln City win- 13/10
Special bet: Vadaine Oliver to score first and Gillingham to win 2-1- 28/1.
Match Officials:
Referee: Dean Whitestone
Assistants: Craig Taylor and Michael Chard
Fourth Official: Alan Dale