Gillingham will look to continue their climb up the League One table on Saturday when they take on Oxford United at Priestfield Stadium.

The Gills go into the game off the back of a 1-1 draw at Shrewsbury last weekend, which followed consecutive wins against Wigan and Blackpool. 

There have been some cup defeats scattered in – none more recent than a 2-0 EFL Trophy defeat to Ipswich on Tuesday – but manager Steve Evans’ full focus is on league action and he will expect three points here.

But the Scot will be missing a number of midfielders for the match. Kyle Dempsey (ankle) and Stuart O’Keefe (leg) will definitely miss out, whilst Scott Robertson (fatigue) is also likely to again be rested. Latest recruit Tommy O’Connor is away on international duty representing the Republic of Ireland U21s.

Matty Willock is expected to be fit after featuring for 45 minutes against Ipswich, but loan man Declan Drysdale could start alongside Coventry teammate and fellow loanee Josh Eccles in the middle of the park.

Oxford have been handed three huge boosts ahead of Saturday after Alex Gorrin (ankle), Josh Ruffels (shoulder) and Sam Winnall (calf) were declared fit. It is, however, unclear if Rob Atkinson (groin) will be fit in time, and Joel Cooper will be absent after being called up to represent Northern Ireland.

The Us are 18th in the League One table but have only played three games; their match against Crewe last weekend was called off because of coronavirus complications. Karl Robinson’s men did, however, beat Bristol Rovers on penalties in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday, and comprehensively defeated Accrington 4-1 in their last league outing after back-to-back defeats at the start of the season.

Fans will not be allowed to attend the game in person, but an iFollow pass can be purchased for £10 to stream the game live. Gillingham season tickets holders can watch the stream for free through a code that should have been received via email from the club.

Kick-off is at 13:00 BST.