Match Pack: Gillingham vs Saints

THE MATCH

Gillingham vs Saints
Carabao Cup First Round
Priestfield Stadium
Tuesday 8th August, 7:45pm BST

THE OFFICIALS

Referee: Carl Brook
Assistants: Stephen Finch, Shaun Farrer
Fourth official: Ben Atkinson

WHAT KIT WILL SAINTS BE WEARING?

The New Forest-inspired black third kit with yellow trim will be making its competitive debut, completed with grey shorts and black socks.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

With league action up and running for the new campaign, cup football makes a return with the odds quite clear; a place in the Carabao Cup second round awaits the winners of Tuesday night's tie.

Up until the semi-finals of the competition, if the scores are level after 90 minutes the game will go straight to penalties without playing any extra-time.

Saints had a strong showing in last season's Carabao Cup as they reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2017, falling to eventual runners-up Newcastle United.

The impressive run saw Saints knock out Manchester City in the quarter-final thanks to goals from Sékou Mara and Moussa Djenepo, which came after beating Lincoln City, Sheffield Wednesday, and Cambridge United.

Gillingham also enjoyed an impressive cup run as they reached the fourth round for only the third time in their history last season.

Their campaign began with a 2-0 win over AFC Wimbledon, before beating higher-division Exeter City on penalties and then knocking out Premier League side Brentford via another round of spot kicks.

The Gills' run came to an end at the hands of another Premier League side, Wolverhampton Wanderers, but even that required two late goals after another gutsy performance from the League Two club.

Sékou Mara scored as Saints knocked out Manchester City in the Carabao Cup.

TEAM NEWS

With no fresh injury concerns picked up against Sheffield Wednesday, Saints will be able to pick from an almost fully fit squad on Tuesday night.

Jan Bednarek, Stuart Armstrong and Joe Aribo all returned to feature in the season opener, with Sékou Mara and Kamaldeen Sulemana the only players that missed out through minor injuries.

With a quick turnaround from last Friday's match, the cup tie could give Russell Martin a chance to assess the squad that didn't feature at Hillsbrough.

Summer signing Shea Charles is awaiting his competitive club debut whilst a handful of Academy starlets could be looking to add to their pre-season involvements.

Stuart Armstrong impressed off the bench against Sheffield Wednesday.

Gillingham were without Timothée Dieng for their first game of the League Two campaign, as the defender pulled up with a calf strain last week.

Two longer-term injured players are nearing a return but are also unfit to face Saints, as striker Oliver Hawkins and defender Conor Masterson are both getting closer in their respective recoveries.

Gills appeared to get through their League Two curtain raiser - a 1-0 victory over Stockport County - unscathed, with no further injuries from the match reported.

THE MANAGERS

Russell Martin: "I'm really proud of the team and proud of the players, and really grateful to them for the way they performed [against Sheffield Wednesday].

"Hopefully it keeps people excited about what's to come and the amount of growth there is in the team. We need to be together and continue to have conviction in what we're doing."

Neil Harris: "[The season] has come around quickly for all of us, it was lovely for the fan base to enjoy the first victory of the season [on Saturday].

"We will have a look at Southampton on Tuesday, but for us it’s all about Accrington Stanley next week."

ONES TO WATCH

Sam Amo-Ameyaw: The youngster certainly took his opportunities in pre-season and caught the eye of Russell Martin and Saints supporters alike with his cameos on the wing, after an equally impressive senior debut at the end of last season.

The 17-year-old earned a place on the bench against Sheffield Wednesday, so could be given another chance to impress on the field given his heavy involvement with the first team in Martin's tenure so far.

Ashley Nadesan: The pacey forward has been tipped for success at Gillingham since his summer arrival from league-rivals Crawley Town.

He had the best output of his career last season with nine goals in a struggling Crawley side, and the 28-year-old could be a shrewd addition with hopes of hitting the ground running at his new club that have eyes on the upper end of the table.

Sam Amo-Ameyaw shone during pre-season and could be given another chance to impress.

HEAD TO HEAD

Played: 19
Gillingham: 6
Draws: 4
Saints: 9

LAST FIVE MEETINGS

May 2010: Gillingham 2-1 Saints (Connolly)
October 2009: Saints 4-1 Gillingham (Lambert, Papa Waigo, Lallana x2)
October 2001: Gillingham 0-2 Saints (Beattie, Pahars)
October 1992: Saints 3-0 Gillingham (Dowie, Le Tissier x2)
September 1992: Gillingham 0-0 Saints

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