Gillingham and Ipswich Town will meet on Saturday afternoon in League One, with Ipswich looking to break into the play-off places.

Paul Cook will officially take charge of his first Tractor Boys game at the weekend since replacing Paul Lambert, and inherits a side in fine form. They currently sit in seventh position, just two points behind Doncaster Rovers in the last play-off spot.

Meanwhile, Gillingham are seven places further back in 14th position, with little chance of either being involved in a promotion or relegation battle.

Team news

Vadaine Oliver and Kyle Dempsey will need late fitness tests for Gillingham ahead of the match, so they could potentially miss out.

It has also been confirmed that on-loan Southampton midfielder Callum Slattery will be out until the end of March for Steve Evans' side. The 22-year-old had surgery on his injured ankle so will need time to recover.

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Jon Nolan may be out for the rest of the season for Ipswich. The midfielder, who had been been exiled from the squad following disagreements with Paul Lambert last month, was making his return to training and suffered a knee injury. Nolan is now set to face two months out on the sidelines.

Kayden Jackson could be back amongst the squad though, after also being exiled to the U23s with Nolan by Lambert last month

Predicted lineups

Gillingham (potential 4-3-3): Bonham, Jackson, Cundy, Tucker, Ogilvie, O'Keefe, Dempsey, O'Connor, Graham, Oliver, Lee.

Ipswich Town (potential 4-2-3-1): Holy, Chambers, Nsiala, Wilson, Kenlock, Bishop, Dozzell - Bennetts, Parrott, Judge, Norwood.

  • Form guide

Gillingham have put in some mixed performances of late, with two wins, two losses and one draw in their last five matches. Their lack of consistency has seen their place in mid-table firmly secured, but they'll be aiming to win two games on the bounce for the first time since early December after defeating Milton Keynes Dons 3-2 in midweek.

Ipswich come into this match in fine form, having won their last three games against sides close to them in the table. Those results have put the Tractor Boys within touching distance of the play-offs, with Paul Cook having aspirations to go all the way and earn automatic promotion.

  • Ones to watch

Jordan Graham will be the one to watch for the Gills. The lively winger has provided nine goals and six assists this season, with his pace, skill and crossing ability making him a danger anywhere in the opposition half.

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James Norwood may be the one to watch for Ipswich. The striker is finding his groove again, having netted the winning goal in the last three matches for the Suffolk side. Norwood has faced a difficult time with injuries in the last year, but if he's able to keep fit then Ipswich's hopes of automatic promotion may well be achievable. 

  • Previous meetings

The two sides have already come up against each other twice this season, once in the Football League Trophy and once in League One. Ipswich came out on top in both occasions, with the most recent game being the 1-0 victory in the league in late October. They needed a late Teddy Bishop effort to secure the three points at Portman Road that night.

In the overall head-to-head record the Tractor Boys are dominant with 12 wins compared to just the two for Gillingham. There have also been 11 games in which the points have been shared.

  • How to watch

The game has not been selected for TV coverage in the UK, but an iFollow pass can be purchased for £10 via either club’s website to stream the game live.

Kick-off is scheduled for 13:00 GMT.