Gillingham and Leyton Orient both lost their respective league fixtures last weekend before they face off in the EFL trophy. Gillingham lost 2-0 away to Grimsby Town, while Leyton Orient were defeated 3-0 at home by Stevenage.
Preview (Gillingham vs. Leyton Orient)
In their previous two League Two games, Gillingham have failed to score, losing to Colchester United and Grimsby after winning each of their first four league games by a 1-0 score. As a result, Notts County and Milton Keynes Dons have overtaken them at the top of the table. Manager Neil Harris would almost certainly shake hands if offered a third-place finish at the end of the season. It would guarantee their main goal of automatic promotion.
At Blundell Park on Saturday, the Gills fell behind 2-0 after just 27 minutes thanks to goals from Niall Maher and Gavan Holohan, who took control of the game. In response, Gillingham could only produce six shots and 44% ball possession, which resulted in a relatively meek defeat. In order to demonstrate that they are already capable of competing with League One sides before striving to achieve that level in the near future, Harris will be anticipating a favorable response from their home fans on Tuesday at Priestfield Stadium. Leyton Orient is well aware of that. They won League Two last year to make their first return to England’s third division in eight years.
The fact that Richie Wellens’ team has only accrued four points from their first six games. However, indicates that they have definitely found the step up in quality difficult to handle. Nevertheless, Stevenage was the more effective team despite only controlling 32% of the ball. Daniel Sweeney’s goal one minute before halftime proved to be the game-changing blow. The O’s may be hoping for a much better performance this time around. Their primary priority this season will be ensuring their survival in League One.
Team News
Harris may take no chances by making numerous substitutions for this game because his team’s League Two encounter against Harrogate Town comes on Saturday, and it is a contest that can be won at home. Jayden Clarke may keep his spot on the left flank after scoring in that 3-2 loss since the former Millwall manager is likely to start with a lineup similar to the one that gave Premier League side Luton Town a hard time in the EFL Cup last week. On Saturday, League One rival Leyton Orient travel to Exeter City, therefore Wellens will almost probably make significant lineup changes.
After coming off the bench at the weekend, former Ipswich Town striker Joe Pigott might get the chance to start as the visitors’ line leader. George Moncur is probably going to start at the back. Harris’ safety-first strategy results in relatively few goals being scored in Gillingham games. Leyton Orient hasn’t scored in five of their seven games this season. As a result, it appears that this game will be quite competitive and that neither team’s players will be willing to engage in physical contact before crucial league games this next weekend. We could picture a scoreless draw.
Gillingham 0 – 0 Leyton Orient
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