VAVEL's EFL League Two Game Week Three Preview

Crawley Town vs Scunthorpe United

Crawley Town go into the game on a high after winning their first cup tie in four years on Tuesday. The 3-2 win at Walsall followed the Red Devils’ first league win of the season last weekend at home to Salford, with new signing Ashley Nadesan netting on his debut against the Saddlers.

They travel to a Scunthorpe United side sitting bottom of the table after two defeats in two, and a cup exit at Derby County in midweek, despite being fancied for promotion in pre-season. Scunthorpe, despite the 1-0 defeat at Pride Park, gave a good account of themselves and will take encouragement from their performance after the second-half collapse at Cheltenham last weekend.

Crawley head coach Gabriel Cioffi has stressed the importance of maintaining the Reds’ attacking threat, saying:

“We know one of our problems last season was not being ruthless enough in front of goal.

It is something we have worked very hard on during pre-season. So far we have scored six goals and I read somewhere that we have already created 50 shots on goal in two games, more than any side in the EFL”.

Crewe Alexandra vs Walsall

Walsall look to continue their unbeaten start to the League Two season as they travel to Gresty Road, where they face a Crewe side who will be riding high after recent results.

Despite an opening day 3-0 loss to Plymouth Argyle, Crewe were able to bounce back with a 2-1 victory away at Oldham after a Chris Porter brace. Crewe’s good form continued as they travelled to the Riverside in midweek, where they were able to beat Championship side Middlesbrough on penalties after a late Boro equaliser saw the game go all the way.

Despite losing 3-2 in midweek against Crawley in the Carabao Cup, recently relegated Walsall have had an unbeaten start to life back in League Two. An opening day 1-0 victory away at Northampton was the perfect start for the Saddlers, and that good start was continued with a 1-1 draw at home to Forest Green. Walsall were arguably of a better value than Forest Green for the point, and therefore they will be looking to push on and continue their unbeaten start this Saturday away at Gresty Road.

Last season, Crewe had the 5th best home record in the league, and with both sides having similar starts to their seasons, it could be the railwaymen's home form that proves the deciding factor.

Morecambe vs Cheltenham Town

Morecambe welcome Cheltenham to the Globe Arena as they search for their first win of the season, whilst Cheltenham will be looking to push on after a mixed set of recent results.

Morecambe’s season didn’t get off to a flying start, as two second-half goals saw them fall to 2-0 to Grimsby Town. Morecambe’s defensive woes continued, as they threw away a 2-0 lead at Mansfield last Saturday. Despite early goals from both Lavelle and Alessandra, Mansfield battled back to rescue a draw. In Bizarre Fashion, Morecambe faced Mansfield again just 3 days later in the first round of the Carabao Cup. The game again ended 2-2, with Morecambe progressing through to the next round with a 6-5 win on penalties.

Like Morecambe, Cheltenham started this year's campaign off with a loss. On the opening day, a second-half goal from Josh Wright was enough to see Leyton Orient achieve a 1-0 victory over the Robins, and any chances of a Cheltenham come back were vanished when both Luke Varney and Rohan Ince got sent off just four minutes later.

Despite opening day disappointment, Cheltenham continued their strong home form from last season as they beat recently relegated Scunthorpe 4-1. After going down 1-0 just after the restart, four goals in the last 25 minutes saw Cheltenham record a well-deserved victory. Midweek, The Robins were outclassed by League One opposition in Bristol Rovers, as they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup after a 3-0 defeat.

Neither side have kept a clean sheet so far this season, and both sides have shown they have the ability in front of goal. If Cheltenham can improve on their away form from last season then this game could be theirs for the taking, but if not, it’s likely that Morecambe’s home advantage could lead to them registering their first win of the season.

Colchester United vs Cambridge United

Jevani Brown faces his old side for the first time since leaving for Colchester, in a match where both sides are looking for their first wins in League Two this season.

Despite neither side yet registering a win in the League, both sides were able to progress midweek in the Carabao Cup. Colchester scored twice in added time to dispatch fellow league two opposition Swindon Town 3-0 at home, whilst Cambridge United were able to beat Championship Brentford 5-4 on penalties after the match was 1-1 at the final whistle.

Whilst both sides will be coming into this match with high hopes after their midweek successes, they have started poorly in the league. On the opening weekend, Colchester drew 1-1 in a close contest with Port Vale, whilst last Saturday a second-half winner from Antoni Sarcevic saw Colchester fall 1-0 to recently relegated Plymouth.

Unlike Colchester, Cambridge are yet to taste defeat this season. However, they are also yet to score a goal. On the opening weekend, Cambridge travelled to Bradford, where despite a second-half red card from Liam O’Neil, they were able to hold out for a 0-0 draw. The scoreline was the same a week later when Cambridge welcomed Newport County to The Abbey Stadium, as neither side were able to put the ball in the back of the net.

In the opening two league games this season, both sides have only managed to score one goal combined. If either side wants to achieve their first win of the season, they will have to find their shooting boots.

With strong preseason aspirations, Colchester need a win here to prove that they can challenge for promotion, whilst Cambridge will be looking to build upon their two goalless draws.

Bradford City vs Oldham Athletic

After their midweek loss against Blackburn Rovers in their Carabao Cup tie and also losing last weekend to Crewe Alexandra, Oldham Athletic will look to pick up their first points of the football league season. Laurent Banide's side has struggled so far and with centre-back David Wheater an injury doubt for the fixture, Oldham's weakened defence may once again prove to be a liability.

Gary Bowyer might make some changes from his side that played against Grimsby Town last weekend, following some good performances in their 4-0 loss against Preston North End in the Carabao Cup. Paudie O'Connor, who was the captain against Preston, may start whilst Shay McCartan may also be in contention. Tyler French and Sam Hornby made their debut for the Bantams midweek and will wear numbers 1282 and 1283 if they play.

Both sides are trying to gain their first win of the season, and feel the need to get more points on the board. The last time the two sides faced eachother, the Latics won 4-1 in last year's Leasing.com Trophy group stage.

Exeter City vs Swindon Town

Two of the sides with one-hundred percent records in the league take on each other this weekend. Both teams lost in their first outing in the Carabao Cup midweek, against Coventry City and Colchester United retrospectively.

Exeter's manager has stated that he is looking forward to the difficult game between the two sides in-form, He said:

"Swindon have had a strong start, similar to ourselves and I'm expecting a good game of football."

Exeter have won each of their league matches by one goal this season, Nick Law scoring a last-minute goal against Stevenage to put the Grecians into third place. They won their first game in a similar fashion, Ryan Bowman netting two minutes from the final whistle.

Swindon are already the league's top-scoring team, netting five in their first two, this fact could set them apart from Exeter. Richie Wellens also strengthened his side on Friday with the signing of Eoin Doyle on a season-long loan deal from Bradford City. Doyle impressed at Oldham Athletic under Wellens in the 17/18 season, scoring many in the first half of the season before he suffered an injury.

Leyton Orient vs Stevenage

Before Losing to Plymouth Argyle in the Carabao Cup, Leyton Orient also suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Macclesfield Town in their last League Two tie. Newly promoted, Orient also managed to win their first of the season 1-0 at home to a nine-man Cheltenham Town. Jamie Turley and James Dayton are out injured and are slowly returning to training with the O's. Jobi McAnuff has also been ruled out of the game, recovering from an operation on his groin that occurred earlier this month.

Stevenage have failed to gain a single point so far this season, and are one of the three sides with nothing yet on the board. To help strengthen their defence, Dino Maamria's side has signed centre-back Kelland Watts on loan from Newcastle United, who has impressed in his 41 matches for the U23s last year. Stevenage almost reached the playoffs last season, and are a good league two side but may struggle to find any positives from the match.

Salford City vs Port Vale

Following their 3-0 loss to Leeds United midweek, and their defeat to Crawley Town prior to that, Salford City face a so far unbeaten Port Vale side, although John Askey's men are still looking for a win. The Ammies will be without centre-back Luke Hogan, who is out injured.

Port Vale fell at the hands of Burton Albion in the Carabao Cup midweek but drew their first two league games against Northampton and Colchester. Vale have sold 1400 tickets for the away end at The Peninsula Stadium, so there is bound to be an electric atmosphere backing John Askey's team. They will, however, be without defender Manny Oyeleke who will miss three to four weeks with a hamstring injury

Forest Green Rovers vs Grimsby Town

Both teams have four points on the board after their two games, Grimsby sit above Forest Green on goal difference.

Forest Green won on penalties against Championship opposition Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup at the weekend, and will now face Premier League Bournemouth in the second round. Forest Green were the victors the last two times that the teams played, winning 3-0 and 4-1. Last season, Rovers finished in 5th place in the league, only missing out in a spot in the playoff final after losing to Tranmere Rovers.

Grimsby have only let in a single goal so far, and the recent signing of Luke Waterfall should help them to keep that tally as low as possible. Waterfall played in League One with Shrewsbury Town last year and is experienced in the football leagues.

Newport County vs Plymouth Argyle

The side who so narrowly lost out in last year's playoff final, unbeaten Newport County face top of the league Plymouth.

So far, the Exiles have drawn their first two league games, a goalless stalemate against Cambridge and a 2-2 draw with Mansfield Town. Newport, however, managed to win their Carabao Cup tie against League One Gillingham on penalties and will now face Premier League West Ham United at home.

Ryan Lowe guided Bury to promotion last season and will aim to do the same with his new side Plymouth Argyle. So far, the side which includes many players from last season's Bury side have won both of their fixtures, not conceding a single goal. They also won against Leyton Orient in the Carabao Cup midweek and now face Reading in the second round.

Carlisle United vs Mansfield Town

John Dempster will be looking for his first win as Mansfield Town manager when he takes his side to Brunton Park to face Carlisle United. Remarkably, the Stags have drawn all three of their games under John Dempster 2-2. The amber and blue will be without Jacob Mellis who is suspended.

Steven Pressley’s side have a win and a loss to their name in the league so far but will be buoyed by their stunning 3-0 win at Barnsley in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday. This was the Reds’ first home defeat in 32 matches. Both teams like to play a high intensity, attacking style, so expect an open game.

Northampton Town vs Macclesfield Town

20th place Cobblers take on 8th place Silkmen at the PTS Academy Stadium. The southern side search for their first win after only collecting a point so far in this League campaign. The team from the north are 8th with three points after beating new promoted Leyton Orient at home 3-0.

Macclesfield's campaign started with a 1-0 Away loss to Exeter City on the opening day, Northampton lost 1-0 at home to Walsall on the opening day and drew 1-1 with Port Vale away. In terms of Cup competitions, the Cobblers were beaten 3-1 away by Championship outfit Swansea City, Macclesfield however, drew 2-2 against Blackpool in normal time and won 4-2 on penalties, seeing them through to the next round. This fixture is looking to be a lively one for both teams looking for a win.