Bristol Rovers predicted team vs Fleetwood Town: Squad stretched to limit amid suspensions and injuries

Bristol Rovers have only won one out of their last eight League Two matches, but stopped the rot last weekend, ending their four-game losing streak with a 0-0 draw against Swindon Town at The Mem.

Performances and results have been largely impressive on home soil for Steve Evans' side, with 13 points from seven league games, but away from BS7, Rovers have struggled. In six away league matches this season, the Gas have lost five, with the only victory a 2-0 win at Crawley Town in August.

It doesn't get much easier with a trip to Fleetwood Town on Saturday, who have only lost one out of 11 home games in all competitions this season. This includes a penalty shootout victory against the Premier League champions Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday after it was 1-1 in 90 minutes.

Rovers' squad will be stretched to the limit this weekend, with two players suspended - Kofi Balmer and Tommy Leigh - and up to four players could be sidelined with injury. Jack Aitchison and Riley Harbottle are out until at least December, while Ellis Harrison and Bobby Kamwa are doubts for the trip to Highbury Stadium.

With that said, here is how we think Rovers will set up against the Cod Army…

Brad Young stepped up last weekend and made three important saves in his best performance of the season so far. In fact, only two goalkeepers have kept more clean sheets than the 24-year-old in League Two, and another blank on Saturday is much needed as Rovers look to find some momentum on the road.

We know that competition is arriving for Young in January, and Evans is fully behind his number one, saying after the draw against the Robins, "Doesn't matter whether you're 24 or 34 or 30 games or 300 games. You want to be thinking, I've got to be at my best today because someone's waiting to grab the shirt, but his performance today was a clear step up for me."

While the back three has provided the Gas with some more defensive solidity, especially in the last three halves against Salford City and Swindon, creativity remains an issue, and when playing this shape, you need at least one pacey wing-back who can play high and wide.

Tom James and Jack Sparkes are very good technically, but don't possess lightning speed, and when playing these two, the wing-back system fails to deliver on its intended purpose of pushing the opposition back and creating more space for the central players.

As a result, we think Rovers should switch to a back four in this one, with James and Sparkes keeping their place in the defence. Sparkes is better suited to playing in a back three, as it provides him with more defensive cover, and you could argue that Ben Purrington is a sensible option if Evans changes the formation.

Rovers are struggling in front of goal, though, and with Leigh still suspended, there is a distinct lack of creativity. The left-back's crossing ability is an asset, and we think, despite defensive concerns about him in a back four, that he should start this one.

Finally, we think the two centre-backs will be Alfie Kilgour and Ciarán Kelly. These two are pretty straightforward selections, given that Balmer is suspended and Harbottle is injured.

If Evans sticks with the back three, Purrington and Keenan Gough are options to play alongside Kilgour and Kelly, but for this one, we think the Scotsman will revert to a back four.

Into midfield, and if Evans plays a 4-2-3-1, which we think he will, it's hard to see a world where he doesn't pick Richie Smallwood and Clinton Mola together. The former hasn't been quite at his best this summer, and Gough has stepped in and done an impressive job in the middle of the park when fit.

Smallwood replaced the Charlton Athletic loanee against Swindon, though, and was very effective in breaking up play and keeping it simple, which is exactly what he was signed for.

The 35-year-old has also had a week to recover for this one, and, like Evans did last week, there is always the option to bring him off around 60 minutes and bring on Gough.

Rovers' away form needs to be fixed sooner rather than later, and maybe returning to partnerships that worked well last season, including playing Smallwood and Mola together in midfield, will help to solve the current issues.

Now, for the front four, it was interesting that Evans said in his pre-match press conference on Thursday: "Yeah, Arvin's ready to play. I think I said 10 days ago he'd be nine or ten days, so does that mean he'll start at Fleetwood? That depends on the shape that we decide to go with.

"We've worked on two different shapes this week, one with Arvin in it, one with him not in it, and then we'll make that decision after we've trained tomorrow."

If one shape features Arvin Appiah in the starting lineup, we think it could be a 4-2-3-1, with the 25-year-old on the left wing, although he is capable of playing on either flank.

Fabrizio Cavegn can also play as a winger on either side, and we saw him out wide at times last season. So, could we see a winger duo of Appiah and Cavegn in a 4-2-3-1?

We think it could work, largely because Rovers are severely lacking in pace, which has been particularly evident in the last few weeks. Appiah and Cavegn out wide would go a long way to changing that.

In terms of the number 10 and striker, although Shaq Forde is yet to score a goal this season and has struggled for form in the blue and white quarters, it feels unlikely that he will be dropped for this one, given the unavailability of Forde and Aitchison.

We think he'll play behind Joe Quigley, who held the ball up well last weekend and gave Rovers a physical presence in the absence of Harrison.

With pacey wingers running either side of him, along with James and Sparkes delivering balls into the box, we think this is a starting lineup and formation that could work.

Bristol Rovers predicted team (4-2-3-1): Brad Young, Tom James, Alfie Kilgour, Ciarán Kelly, Jack Sparkes, Richie Smallwood, Clinton Mola, Fabrizio Cavegn, Shaq Forde, Arvin Appiah, Joe Quigley.

Subs: Charlie Binns, Macauley Southam-Hales, Ben Purrington, Reiss Russell-Denny, Keenan Gough, Ryan De Havilland, Philip Sanyaolu.