Preview: Barrow vs. Salford City - prediction, team news, lineups

On Tuesday, Barrow will welcome Salford City to Holker Street, and the hosts enter the contest in 21st position in League Two.

Meanwhile, the visitors are in 10th place, and will be hoping that they can pick up a victory to bridge the seven-point gap to the playoffs.

Match preview

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After picking up a crucial 2-0 away victory against Colchester United, the Bluebirds would have entered the weekend contest with Mansfield Town in a buoyant mood.

That confidence took a hit inside the first minute though, as Rhys Oates opened the scoring for the Stags, but to Barrow's credit they hit back through James Jones.

Despite levelling the contest, Barrow could not prevent Steven McLaughlin and Jordan Bowery from finding the net, which condemned Mark Cooper's side to a disappointing 3-1 defeat.

Although the Bluebirds currently occupy a lowly position in League Two, they do possess a seven-point buffer to the drop zone, but having won just two games in their previous 15 league fixtures, there may be some concern that they could still be drawn into a relegation battle.

Having scored only six goals in their last 10 league games, Cooper needs his side to improve in the final third if they are to move away from danger.

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As for Salford, their hopes of reaching the playoffs took a hit at the weekend when they suffered a heavy defeat at home to Colchester.

Goals from Luke Chambers, Myles Kenlock and Corie Andrews helped Colchester claim an impressive 3-0 win, and as a result of that defeat, the Ammies find themselves seven points adrift of the top seven.

If Salford are to close the gap to the playoff places, Gary Bowyer's side need to find an element of consistency, and they will be aiming to start a run of positive results on Tuesday when they try to clinch their third consecutive victory over Barrow after winning 1-0 in their previous two meetings.

Three wins from their previous five away games also offers hope to the visitors, especially as they kept three clean sheets in all of those victories.

If the Ammies are to emerge victorious on Tuesday, their best work may be seen early in the encounter with nine of Salford's 14 away league goals coming in the first half this season.

Team News

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Robbie Gotts returned to the Barrow lineup on Saturday after recovering from a groin problem, and the 22-year-old is expected to be included in the starting XI once again in midweek.

Meanwhile, Ollie Banks will have a starting berth after signing a new long term contract with the Bluebirds.

The hosts are expected to line up with a front two consisting of Luke James and Will Harris.

Salford City are without the services of Ibou Touray, who is currently representing The Gambia at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Brandon Thomas-Asante serves the third game of his four-match suspension.

The Ammies gave a debut to Matt Smith on Saturday, and the forward is expected to lead the line once again on Tuesday.

After coming on as a half-time substitute against Colchester, Liam Shephard may start the midweek encounter at right-back.

Barrow possible starting lineup:
Farman; Brough, Platt, Jones; Hutton, Banks, Gotts, White, Driscoll-Glennon; Harris, James

Salford City possible starting lineup:
King; Shepherd, Eastham, Turnbull, Love; Lowe, Lund, Watson; Kelly, Hunter, Smith

We say: Barrow 1-2 Salford City

Salford have emerged victorious in three of their four meetings with Barrow, and we think that they will claim another victory on Tuesday, although we expect the encounter to be close fought affair.

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