Both looking to return to winning ways after away defeats in the FA Cup first round, Colchester United will welcome Swindon Town to the JobServe Community Stadium on Tuesday night in League Two.
After a troubling week for the U's, they were unable to get the better of third-tier Shrewsbury Town in Shropshire, while the Robins suffered a record-breaking loss at home to non-league opposition.
Match preview
Following on from back-to-back League Two successes at Grimsby Town and Accrington Stanley, Colchester United were unable to book their place in the second round of the FA Cup after coming out on the losing side of a five-goal thriller with League One outfit Shrewsbury Town on Saturday.
The U's took the lead at Croud Meadow in the early stages through playmaker Cameron McGeehan, but strikes from Daniel Udoh, Jordan Shipley and an own goal by Connor Hall put the third-tier Shrews into a commanding position to knock Colchester out at the first-round stage.
A real plus in Shropshire was the involvement of interim head coach Matthew Etherington, who was relieved of his duties ahead of the match at Accrington last weekend due to a legal issue surrounding his former employers Crawley Town, who believed the 42-year-old was still under contract at Broadfield Stadium.
The Essex-based club are still searching for a permanent manager following the dismissal of Ben Garner early in the season, although Etherington has fared reasonably well in steadying the ship in the meantime, with the U's currently 20th in the fourth-tier standings, six points ahead of 23rd-placed Tranmere Rovers.
After fleeting appearances for Luton Town in their run to the Premier League last season, striker Joe Taylor is enjoying a goal-laden spell at the JobServe Community Stadium since the making the loan switch from the Hatters in June, with the 20-year-old netting seven times in 15 League Two games.
Swindon Town have found themselves in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons after a humiliating 7-4 defeat to National League high-flyers Aldershot Town in the FA Cup first round on Saturday afternoon, representing the first time a Football League club have conceded seven to a non-league outfit in the competition.
A pair of braces from the Robins' two-man forward line of Dan Kemp and former Queens Park Rangers star Charlie Austin in the dying stages of the contest did little to cover what was an absolutely embarrassing showing from the hosts at the County Ground, with Tommy Widdrington's Aldershot racing into a seven-goal lead after 58 minutes.
Robins boss Michael Flynn - who was rewarded with a three-year contract extension at the start of the week - claimed that only two of his first-team players could hold their heads up high following their FA Cup implosion, and that there would need to be a serious change of attitude at Colchester on Tuesday.
Although not helped by a host of absences due to injury, Swindon's run of one win in their last eight matches across all competitions is simply not good enough considering that owner Clem Morfuni has stated that he has ambitions of taking the club into League One 'and beyond' in the coming years.
Similar to Tuesday's hosts, Swindon's main source of attacking firepower this term has been provided by a temporary member of their ranks, with Bradford City loanee Jake Young making the net ripple on 10 occasions in the league - only Matthew Smith, Isaac Olaofe and Macaulay Langstaff are ahead of the 22-year-old in the division's Golden Boot race.
Team News
Colchester will be without the services of former Bristol City youngster Owura Edwards for around two months after he tweaked his knee in the loss to Harrogate Town last month, only a matter of weeks after the winger returned from a serious ankle injury.
After scoring a late consolation off the bench for the U's at Shrewsbury on the weekend, defender Zach Mitchell could be reinstated back into the starting XI at the expense of right-back Will Greenidge.
Tom Hopper will be hoping that his assist during a cameo at Croud Meadow will be enough to see him earn only a fourth League Two start of the term, but it is likely that leading marksman Taylor and academy graduate Samson Tovide will lead the line for the hosts.
Swindon are expected to make a raft of changes from the side who were dismantled by Aldershot on the weekend, meaning the likes of George McEachran and Harrison Minturn will be readying themselves for an evening on the bench.
Following a turbulent 10-year spell at Walsall, midfielder Liam Kinsella was brought to the Robins in the summer by former Saddlers boss Flynn, and the 27-year-old should come into the engine room for this one.
After receiving their respective international call-ups, midfielders Tyrese Shade and Saidou Khan should play alongside Kinsella in the middle of the park on Tuesday night.
Colchester United possible starting lineup:
Goodman; Mitchell, Hall, Dallison, Egbo; Read, Fevrier, Chilvers, McGeehan; Tovide, Taylor
Swindon Town possible starting lineup:
Mahoney; Godwin-Malife, Clayton, Brewitt, Blake-Tracey; Khan, Shade, Kinsella, Hepburn-Murphy; Young, Austin
We say: Colchester United 2-1 Swindon Town
Colchester had chances to win the cup clash against third-tier Shrewsbury last time out, and the U's will take confidence into their meeting with Swindon.
The Robins need to produce a response after a haunting afternoon on Saturday, but we believe that Flynn's side will fall short at the JobServe Community Stadium.
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