Carlisle United vs Grimsby Town. Sky Bet League Two.
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Friday 2 March 2018 15:22, UK
Carlisle boss Keith Curle will assess his walking wounded before he names his team for Saturday's Sky Bet League Two clash with Grimsby.
Several players are carrying knocks as the Cumbrians look for a fourth straight league win. However, midfielder Mike Jones resumed after illness and injury as a half-time replacement for Kris Twardek in last Saturday's 1-0 victory at Yeovil, while skipper Danny Grainger has been an unused substitute for the last two games following his return to fitness.
Defender Tom Miller is two to three weeks away, while midfielder Kelvin Etuhu is facing around four more weeks on the sidelines.
Caretaker Grimsby boss Paul Wilkinson will once again be without strikers Simeon Jack and Mallik Wilks. The pair are continuing their recoveries from hamstring injuries which are set to sideline them for several weeks.
Wilkinson made six changes for last weekend's 1-0 home defeat by Exeter with midfielder Mitch Rose among those selected following his return from a three-match ban. Experienced defender Danny Collins also resumed after a head injury, while midfielder Siriki Dembele was used as a late substitute after proving his fitness.
Carlisle have won three of their last five Football League matches against Grimsby (D1 L1), as many victories as in their previous 24 such matches against the Mariners (D7 L14).
However, Grimsby have avoided defeat in three of their last four trips to Carlisle in the Football League (W2 D1 L1); in fact, the Mariners have scored in all but one of their last 14 trips there (22 goals in total).
Carlisle have scored 35 of their 50 league goals this season in the second half of their games (70%), the highest such proportion in League Two. In fact, 10 of their last 11 league goals have come in the second half, including each of their last five.
Grimsby are winless in their last 14 matches in League Two (D4 L10), the longest current streak without a victory in the Football League. They have netted just five goals in this run having scored six in the previous three prior (W3).
Of players yet to score a goal in League Two this season, Luke Summerfield has had the most shots (45) and shots on target (12).
