Gillingham academy graduate Jake Hessenthaler is set to face his former club for the first time since leaving on Tuesday night when Crawley Town take on the Gills in both sides’ first group game of the 2020/21 EFL Trophy.

Hessenthaler, 26, signed for Crawley this summer after leaving Grimsby Town, but joined the Gills as a teenager and went onto make 181 appearances for the first team before departing in 2018.

His dad, Andy Hessenthaler, made 365 appearances for the Gills and managed them permanently on two separate occasions, so there is history there, but Jake will be determined to get his new side the win on Tuesday.

Team news

Jordan Graham is set to return to Gillingham’s squad after missing the Carabao Cup win against Southend United with a groin issue. He may not manage the full 90 minutes, but manager Steve Evans will be keen to give him some minutes ahead of the League One season opener against Hull City on Saturday.

After defender Ryan Jackson saw red against Southend, it is likely he will start here.

New Crawley signing Tom Nichols could make his Red Devils debut at Priestfield after joining on Monday. The club are awaiting FA clearance.

There is just one injury in Crawley’s squad – Reece Grego-Cox is a long-term absentee.

Predicted lineups

Gillingham (possible 4-2-3-1): Walsh – Jackson, Tucker, Maghoma, Medley – Woods, Willock – Graham, Mellis, Coyle – Oliver.

Crawley (possible 4-4-2): McGill – Sesay, McNerney, Forrest, Doherty – Ashford, Ferguson, Hessenthaler, Allarakhia – Nichols, German.

Form guide

Gillingham got their season underway with a victory against League Two Southend United in the first round of this season’s Carabao Cup on Saturday. A Connor Ogilvie header put the Gills ahead, and, despite Jackson’s second-half red card, Evans’ men held out for a hard fought 1-0 victory.

Crawley, however, lost their cup game against Championship side Millwall. Despite Sam Ashford netting, Millwall went onto claim a 3-1 win and ensure the Red Devils got their season off to a losing start.

Ones to watch

Jack Tucker will be aiming to stake his claim in the Gillingham side after being left out of the opening game despite Steve Evans playing with three centre halves. The 20-year-old was one of Gillingham’s star men last season, but had a difficult pre-season campaign, and is in a fight to earn his place in a solid Gillingham backline.

Even if he is half fit, Jordan Graham will be a constant threat for the Gills out wide. The former Wolves man returned to Priestfield on a permanent basis over the summer after playing on loan last season and will be a nuisance for EFL full backs as he aims to revive his career after a string of injury issues.

Whilst Tom Nichols will be one to keep an eye on if he plays, Ricky German has a point to prove after signing for the club in January. He made 13 appearances for Crawley last season, but 12 of those were from the bench, and German will want to show manager John Yems that he can lead the line this season in a stacked attacking department.

Previous meetings

The last time the two teams faced off was in the 2018/19 version of the same competition, where Gillingham ran out 2-1 winners thanks to a late Bradley Stevenson strike after Elliott List had cancelled out Dominic Poleon’s opener.

The last time the teams met in league action was in 2015, a match that Gillingham also won 2-1 through goals from Bradley Dack and Jermaine McGlashan.

In total, there have been 10 previous meetings between Gillingham and Crawley, the Gills winning six to Crawley’s three, with one draw in there too.

Where to watch on TV

The game is not being aired on TV in the UK, but a match pass can be purchased for £10 to watch the game on iFollow.

Kickoff is scheduled for 17:30.

What the managers have said

Gillingham manager Steve Evans admitted he has little interest in the match when speaking to Kent Online before the game.

“I do not hide it; the competition has no interest to me, none” he said.

“Come Tuesday at half past five, I want to win the game. The Carabao Cup had no interest to me, but when it came, I wanted to win.

“We will make changes, but we are playing a good side. When it comes to resources, they probably have more than us – it is not little old Crawley!

“We will get on the training ground Thursday and Friday to prepare for a game [Hull City on Saturday] against a team who were in the Premier League not long ago.”

Crawley manager John Yems was looking forward to more football when speaking to the club’s YouTube channel on Monday.

He said: “You do miss the crowd, but it is what it is. There will more time in the players’ legs and everyone will be getting to know each other more.

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“We never set up to lose. We have got to go there, set up again – the most important thing is the next game. Let us hope we can get going.”