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NederlandThe bottom two sides in the National League will aim to pick up a priceless three points on Tuesday, as basement side Dover Athletic play host to 22rd-placed Aldershot Town.
The hosts were thrashed 6-0 by Grimsby Town in their most recent game, whereas the Shots held their own against Halifax Town but still succumbed to a 1-0 defeat.
Match preview
There was to be no ripping up of the form book when Dover travelled to table-toppers Grimsby on Saturday, as Andy Hessenthaler's side were blown away by their opponents as their search for a first win of the campaign continued.
Luke Waterfall and Ryan Taylor scored twice while Will Bapaga and John McAtee also got in on the act to condemn Dover to a humbling defeat, with Hessenthaler admitting at full-time that the performance from his crop was "unacceptable".
As the only side in the division yet to pick up a win this term, Dover remain rooted to the bottom of the rankings with a bleak outlook for the remainder of the campaign after their 12 point deduction, with their three draws seeing them sit at -9 early on.
With only four goals scored - the fewest in the league - and 18 conceded at the other end of the pitch at an average of two per game, Dover's prospects of a first National League win since February 2020 are slim before a ball is kicked every weekend, but their opponents are hardly on cloud nine either.
Aldershot's recent defeat to a promotion-chasing side was far less humiliating last weekend, but they ultimately came away with nothing to show for their efforts against Halifax, who claimed a 1-0 win thanks to Billy Waters's 27th-minute winner.
After starting the new season with five straight defeats, things appeared to be looking up for Mark Molesley's side with victory over Southend United and a 2-2 draw with Wealdstone, but they have been swiftly brought crashing back down to earth.
The Shots managed to play 51 minutes of their encounter with Wrexham at the weekend before a waterlogged pitch forced the game to be abandoned - at which point Molesley's men were 2-0 down - and they remain second from bottom after a confidence-sapping week.
On a more positive note, Aldershot have chalked up seven of their nine goals this season on the road this term, but Dover have won the past two clashes with their upcoming opponents at home without shipping a single goal.
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Team News
Dover attacker Khale Da Costa was hooked at half time in the drubbing at Grimsby, with new arrival Yannis Drais playing his first 45 minutes for the club and now vying for a start against his old club.
The Frenchman's prospects of a start are rather high with Ryan Hanson in the treatment room, while two-goal striker Aaron Cosgrave will also hope for a return to the first XI here.
Aldershot fielded an unchanged XI for their brief encounter with Wrexham at the weekend, and it would not be surprising to see Molesley keep faith in the majority of the same crop once more, but Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong had to come off after just 34 minutes.
However, James Vennings and Callum Coulter represent two of the club's newest arrivals and will aim to get up to speed in training in time to be considered for starts here.
Dover Athletic possible starting lineup:
Parkes; Ofori-Twumasi, Ransom, Collinge, Wood; Bramble, Drais, Woods; Arthur; Cosgrave, Williamson
Aldershot Town possible starting lineup:
Walker; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Phillips, Lyons-Foster, Kinsella; Whittingham, Edser, Harris, Willard; Bettamer, Andrews
We say: Dover Athletic 0-1 Aldershot Town
Dover's doomed campaign has started in the worst possible way ahead of what could prove to be their most winnable fixture of the season so far, but Aldershot have developed an affinity for away goals and have demonstrated signs of progress in the past couple of weeks, so we are backing a narrow away win.
