Needing maximum points to keep their slim survival hopes alive, Morecambe play host to Salford City at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium in round 44 of League Two on Monday.
The Ammies head into the game unbeaten in their last five outings on the road, picking up three wins and two draws, and will look to extend this fine run as they push for playoff qualification.
Match preview
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Morecambe's hopes of beating the drop suffered a crushing blow on Friday as they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Bromley when the two sides squared off at the Hayes Lane Stadium.
In a game where David Tutonda received his marching orders, veteran forward Michael Cheek grabbed the headlines for Bromley as he converted his 48th-minute penalty to hand them a hard-fought victory.
Morecambe have now lost three games on the bounce, suffering defeat against Grimsby Town, Carlisle United and Bromley — conceding six goals and scoring just once — and have won just two of their most recent eight games since March 8.
This poor run of results has seen Derek Adams's men plunge to the bottom of the League Two standings with 36 points from 46 games, eight points adrift of 22nd-placed Tranmere Rovers outside the relegation zone with just three games to go.
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On the other hand, Salford City dropped three huge points in their push for a playoff spot as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Accrington Stanley at the Peninsula Stadium.
Salford were made to rue their wasteful display in front of goal as Shaun Whalley and Benjamin Woods found the back of the net to put the visitors in a comfortable lead before Hakeeb Adelakun struck in the 70th minute to halve the deficit.
Prior to that, Karl Robinson's men were on a run of six back-to-back games without defeat in the league, picking up three wins and three draws while scoring 11 goals and conceding seven since mid-March.
Friday's defeat further highlighted the Ammies' recent struggles at home, where they have now gone six straight matches without a win, losing three and claiming three draws since February's 2-0 victory over Tranmere Rovers.
Salford have picked up 62 points from their 43 League Two matches so far to sit 10th in the standings.
Team News
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Morecambe will have to cope without the services of 29-year-old defender Tutonda, who is set to serve a one-game suspension after picking up a red card against Bromley last time out.
On the injury front, experienced defender Jamie Stott was forced off just before the half-time break in the aforementioned game and the 27-year-old is a major doubt for the home side.
Luke Hendrie, Harvey Macadam and first-choice goalkeeper Stuart Moore all continue their spells on the sidelines while Gerard Garner has missed the last three games through injury.
Salford have their fair share of injury concerns as midfielder Dan Chesters is currently recuperating through injury while Kylian Kouassi and Frankie Okoronkwo have been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
They are joined on the club's injury table by the defensive duo of Stephan Negru and 30-year-old Liam Shephard while veteran forward Conor McAleny is set to sit out his 13th straight game since picking up an injury in February.
Morecambe possible starting lineup:
Burgoyne; Lewis, Taylor, Lewis; White, Songo'o, Jones, Tollitt; Dallas, Angol, Hope
Salford City possible starting lineup:
Young; Garbutt, Edwards, Longelo; Mnoga, Ashley, Fornah, Adelakun; N'Mai, Woodburn, Stockton
We say: Morecambe 0-2 Salford City
Morecambe find themselves eight points away from safety with just three games to go and must secure maximum points here and hope for favourable results elsewhere to keep their slim survival hopes alive.
However, Salford have been rock-solid on their travels in recent weeks and we predict that they will deliver the final blow to what has been an underwhelming campaign for the home side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
