Forest Green Rovers welcome Crewe Alexandra to The New Lawn tonight, with the two sides both flying high in League Two, occupying second a third spot respectively.

Rovers come into the game off the back of a 4-2 win at Leyton Orietn, while tonight’s visitors had an impressive 5-0 win against Morecambe.

Read all you need to know ahead of the clash right here…

What we said:

“It’s massive, I’m enjoying playing in the team and at the same time, it is competitive with Lewis Thomas and Adam Smith,” said Joe Wollacott.

“We’re doing well in training and keeping each other on our toes and I’m enjoying it.

“We are happy where we are at the moment, we can’t get complacent and we will be prepared for whatever Crewe bring.

“It’s what I’m here for, to enjoy football. We have to enjoy the moment and we’ll see what happens.”

What they said:

“I’m sure it will be a good game and a good advert for lower league football. Mark (Cooper) said to me at the end of last season when we scored late on to win 4-3 that he thought we were the two best footballing sides in the division, and I don’t think I’ve seen anything this season to change my opinion on that,” said Crewe manager David Artell.

“It should be a really good game and of a high technical quality. Anyone coming to the New Lawn will see a football match that is probably of a higher standing than League Two.”

Team news

Forest Green:

Liam Kitching will be back available for selection following serving his one-match suspension against Leyton Orient at the weekend.

Crewe:

Chuma Anene will be available for Crewe after he returned from a head injury on Saturday to play half an hour from the bench against Morecambe.

The striker was involved in a nasty collision with Jordan Turnbull after coming on as a late substitute in Crewe's 4-1 defeat at Northampton Town.

About: Crewe

Crewe Alexandra are the visitors today, The Railwaymen making the trip down from Cheshire.

Despite a fantastic run of form at the end of last season, winning four of their last five matches, David Artell’s men missed out on the all-important top seven by five points.

The clash between the two sides towards the end of last season saw Rovers race into a 3-1 lead, but a late fightback from the Alex saw them net twice in the closing minutes to earn a dramatic 4-3 win and quash any chance FGR had of playing for automatic promotion on final day.

Crewe Alexandra have a prolific Academy set-up, and, like Rovers, have been so far successful with their young side, players under the age of 23 making up a large portion of their starting squad.

Currently sitting in third spot in League Two, David Artell’s men are known for their free-flowing, attacking style of play, which has seen them net the most goals in the EFL this calendar year, experienced forward Chris Porter leading the charge in 2019/20.

Key Player: Chis Porter

Experienced frontman Porter linked up with Crewe in summer 2017 after the club fought off a number of other suitors to land their man.The 35-year-old target man banged in 16-goals in League Two for Colchester in 2016/17 in his 39 game season.In his debut season at Crewe, Porter notched 12 goals in 37 games, including six in his first seven games for the club.

Those goalscoring exploits continued last season, with 15 in 43 as he ended up the club’s top scorer for the 2018/19 campaign.

Last time we met:

Forest Green Rovers' hopes of an automatic promotion spot came to an end in the cruellest of fashions in April, as Crewe Alexandra struck twice in the closing minutes to record a 4-3 win.

After Chris Porter gave the hosts the lead, FGR looked en route to a huge three points as goals from Reece Brown, Junior Mondal and Christian Doidge put them in the driving seat.

However, an own goal from Joseph Mills gave the home side hope before Charlie Kirk hit twice in the dying minutes to give the hosts all three points.

Crewe completed the unlikeliest of comebacks in the 90th minute when the ball fell to Kirk in the middle of the FGR half and, with James Montgomery out of his net, Kirk was able to loop the ball into the empty net and leave the visitors shell-shocked.

Head-to-head:

The stats between these two sides hang nicely in the balance.

With the first meeting coming after Rovers’ promotion to the Football League, the sides have faced off just four times, each winning both their home games.

Coverage:

This game will be available to watch live both in the UK and abroad by subscribing HERE or you can listen to the game with our audio service HERE.

If watching on a mobile device, you will need to download the FGR TV app to be able to watch or listen to the match. A full list of frequently asked questions can be found HERE.

Please contact fgrtv@streamamg.com if you have any issues with your FGR Live account.

Full commentary of Saturday’s match will also be available on BBC Radio Gloucestershire on 1413AM.

Stay up to date also on Twitter and Instagram by following @FGRFC_Official, which will have all of the team news before kick-off and updates throughout the game.

There will also be key updates and team news on Facebook. Round-up the clash by checking out the club website where there will be a full report looking back on the encounter.

For full information on making the most of your trip to The New Lawn, visit our first time visitors page HERE.