City Reds v Vikings: Teams

Denis Betts: Set to name the same team for the third consecutive match

Phil Veivers' Salford aiming for a third consecutive victory

The improving Salford City Reds take on the lowly Widnes Vikings in the Stobart Super League on Friday night.

Phil Veivers' Reds have won back-to-back league games, including fine wins over Hull KR and the Warrington Wolves.

Widnes have made great strides this season and were unlucky to slip to a last-gasp defeat against St Helens last time out.

Salford are currently 10th in the standings, five points behind Hull FC in the final play-off spot, while Widnes are two points clear of bottom of the table London.

Salford have centre Sean Gleeson back in place of Ashley Gibson in the only likely change to the side that won at Hull KR.

Forwards Iafeta Paleaasina and Luke Adamson are hoping to force their way onto Veivers' bench.

Cover

City Reds assistant coach Sean Long has signed for the club, although youngster Marc Sneyd is expected the keep the scrum-half role for Friday's match.

"I've signed him as cover," said Veivers. "I asked him, if we needed him, would he play and he said 'yes'. It would only be in the case of an emergency."

Widnes coach Denis Betts is set to keep the same team for the third consecutive match, with winger Paddy Flynn still waiting to make his 100th appearance for the club.

"I want the lads to build on their performance against St Helens two weeks ago," explained Betts.

"I'm hoping that after the week's break, the squad will have recovered from the physical strains of playing against Saints and will be more than ready for the Salford match."

Salford: Patten, Broughton, Gleeson, Moon, Williams, Holdsworth, Sneyd, Gledhill, Howarth, Boyle, Ashurst, Anderson, Wild, Nero, Paleaaesina, James, Sidlow, Jewitt, Adamson.

Widnes: Ah Van, Allen, Cahill, Clarke, Cross, Craven, Davies, Dean, Haggerty, Hanbury, Isa, J. Kite, McShane, Marsh, O'Carroll, Phelps, Mellor, Pickersgill, Winterstein.

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