Dom Jefferies is likely to sit out Saturday's game at Accrington but Jonny Williams could return to the starting XI.
The Gills make the trip to The Wham Stadium looking to make it three league wins in a row this weekend.
Having exited the FA Cup at the third round last Saturday, Stephen Clemence will be hoping to see his squad put everything into picking up three points away in Lancashire.
Accrington Stanley v Gillingham
Sky Bet League Two
Wham Stadium
Saturday 13th January, 2024
Kick-Off: 15:00
Team News:
Robbie Stockdale confirmed when he took the pre-match press conference earlier this week that Dom Jefferies will be side-lined for the trip to Accrington, with the midfielder suffering a knee injury during last weekend’s FA Cup tie at home to Sheffield United. Jefferies could potentially be out of action until the end of month.
Jonny Williams will almost certainly be included in the squad, following his recovery from a hamstring injury the player picked up during the game against Sutton United before the turn of the year. He will continue to be assessed by the coaching staff until kick-off this weekend. Stephen Clemence otherwise has no new injury concerns leading into the fixture.
As for Accrington they are likely to field former Gills goalkeeper, Joe Walsh. The stopper is on loan from QPR and should start against his former employers for the first time.
Stanley played on Wednesday against Bolton in the EFL Trophy, losing 3-1.
Manager Comments:
Robbie Stockdale: "It’s a tough game, Accrington always is, isn’t it?
"We’re going up there and we’ll have to be close to, if not at, our maximum to get anything out of the game.
“We need to be a little bit better at both ends of the pitch than we were last Saturday. If we can tidy that up, then I think box to box we’re really good and have some good passages of play.
“Nine times out of ten in this division, you win or lose games on how clinical you are in the two 18-yard boxes.”
John Coleman: "Gillingham had a great start and, like us and many teams in League Two, have had peaks and troughs.
"We know they will be a handful on their day, they have had many a good result this season, and they will be trying to make things difficult for us."
Previous Meeting:
Gills last came up against Accrington on Matchday two, when Saturday's hosts came to Priestfield in the Gills first home game of the current Sky Bet League Two season.
In what was a closely matched fixture on the day, with both teams having near equal possession of the ball, it was Ashley Nadesan who grabbed the only goal of the game with 29 minutes on the clock.
Tom Nichols found the ball deep in the Accrington half, and with a quick pass through the visitors' defensive line, the forward played in Nadesan with a quality pass for the No.10 to tuck into the net and put the Gills in front.
It finished 1-0 to the home side on the day.
Head-to-Head:
Accrington Stanley – 5
Draw – 4
Gillingham – 10
The Gills head to the Wham Stadium with a winning record when playing Saturday's hosts, having taken 10 league wins to Accrington’s four since the two clubs first met in the 1960/61 season of the old Division 4.
Accrington gained their additional win over the Gills, when the two clubs met in the 2009/10 FA Cup, the only occasion that has seen the two clubs meet in cup competition.
Match Officials:
Referee – Daniel Middleton
Assistants – Kevin Mulraine & Danny Jarvis
Fourth Official – Karl Buckley
Odds:
Accrington Win – 13/10
Draw – 23/10
Gillingham Win – 19/10
Special Bet: Connor Mahoney to score first – 9/1
Sat Nav: BB5 5BX