Morecambe vs Grimsby Town. Sky Bet League Two.
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Thursday 2 April 2020 10:56, UK
Morecambe boss Jim Bentley has plenty of options ahead of their Sky Bet League Two opener against Grimsby on Saturday.
Striker A-Jay Leitch-Smith seems to be Bentley's only major concern as he battles to overcome a hamstring problem.
The Shrimps lost 2-0 to Accrington in their final pre-season friendly of the summer but Bentley was happy with much of what he saw. Morecambe spent a large part of last season flirting with the drop-zone in League Two but they eventually secured an 18th-placed finish.
Loan signing Liam Gibson is a doubt for Grimsby after he suffered a groin strain during a friendly against Scarborough Athletic. Striker Harry Cardwell is set to miss out because of calf muscle trouble but Mariners boss Michael Jolley looks poised for some good news in other areas.
Defender Ludvig Ohman and recent recruit Moses Ogbu are expected to feature after missing Grimsby's final summer friendly against Peterborough. And Jolley is hopeful that striker Charles Vernam can overcome an ankle problem to be available for selection.
Grimsby have failed to score in three of their last five league games with Morecambe, winning none, drawing two and losing three of those games.
Morecambe also faced Grimsby on the opening weekend of the 2016-17 League Two campaign, falling to a 0-2 defeat at Blundell Park.
Morecambe have lost six of their last nine opening day fixtures (W3), failing to score in each of those defeats, including a 0-2 loss against opponents Grimsby in August 2016.
Grimsby have won just two of their last 17 opening day fixtures when playing away in the Football League (D6 L9), with one of those victories coming in their most recent such game, beating Chesterfield 3-1 away from home to start their 2017-18 campaign.
Grimsby Town received a joint-league high nine red cards last season (level with Stevenage), seeing eight different players sent off.
