The Gas head to Devon this weekend to take on Exeter City in our latest test in Sky Bet League One.
Rovers head to St James Park on Saturday afternoon as we look to bounce back from last week's frustrating defeat to Accrington Stanley. Exeter, who joined Rovers and Forest Green Rovers in achieving automatic promotion from League Two last campaign have enjoyed a solid start to life in League One. Below is all the need-to-know information ahead of our clash in Devon!
Manager's Preview
Player Preview
Opposition View
Exeter City manager Matt Taylor, who was in attendance at The Mem last week during our narrow loss against Accrington Stanley, has given his thoughts ahead of Saturday's clash:
"The scoreline was only 1-0 but it was a very open game. We had fantastic seats really high up to get the full picture," Matt said.
"They've got a really strong squad just like last season. They score a lot of goals but don't keep a lot of clean sheets so will be looking for a lot of consistency. We will be looking for a positive outcome this weekend."
Previous Encounter
Familiar Faces
Rovers fans will be familiar with Jamal Blackman who now plies his trade with the Grecians, who he joined in the summer following his release from Championship side Huddersfield Town. Blackman signed for Rovers on a six-month loan deal in January 2020; regular custodian Anssi Jaakkola was out injured with a shoulder injury, leaving Jordi van Stappershoef and Alexis André Jr. as the only fit goalkeepers at the club. Jamal made his debut at The Mem three days later, in a 0–0 draw with Fleetwood Town. He featured ten times in the second half of the 2019–20 season as Rovers finished in 14th place.
Form Guide
The Grecians currently occupy 10th place in the League One standings, with a 14-point return from their 10 league games this season. Their last match, a 4-0 victory over Forest Green Rovers, saw Jevani Brown net a hat-trick after Sam Nombe had opened the scoring with just six minutes on the clock.
Last week's hat-trick hero Jevani Brown sits atop of Exeter's goalscoring charts, with six league goals to his name so far this campaign, whilst also setting up four goals for his teammates.
Exeter had lost two games in a row prior to last week's victory against Forest Green. Matt Taylor's side suffered a defeat against Shrewsbury Town before their somewhat shock defeat against Burton Albion on the 17th September.
Injury Update
Joey Barton has provided an update to fans on five first-team players ahead of our visit to Exeter City this weekend. For more information, please click HERE.
Ref Watch
Declan Bourne has been appointed as the match official for Saturday's clash in Devon. This season, referee Bourne has taken charge of two games in Sky Bet League One. The latest game he took charge of was Barnsley's 3-0 victory over Cambridge United two weeks ago. Bourne averages awarding 17.00 fouls per game in League One this season and also averages 5.00 yellow cards per game. He has shown a solitary red card in League One this season.
Betting Preview
EFL sponsors SkyBet have priced Rovers at 17/4 for the win on Saturday afternoon. Rovers can also be backed at 14/1 to win the game 1-0. On the goalscorer markets, Sylvester Jasper is priced at 16/1 to open the scoring in Devon, whilst Ryan Loft can be backed at 4/1 to score at any time throughout the clash.
Odds correct at the time of writing. To bet with SkyBet, please click HERE. Please bet responsibly.
How to Follow
Supporters based in the UK can purchase an audio match pass for £2.50. To find out more about iFollow, please click HERE.