Crewe Alexandra will travel to Swindon Town on Saturday at 12.30pm aiming to extend their unbeaten start to the League Two season.
Lee Bell's side climbed to third in the table following a 3-1 victory over Bristol Rovers at Mornflake Stadium last weekend. The Alex have collected 15 points from their opening nine league fixtures and are yet to taste defeat in the league this season.
Crewe's week included a midweek appearance in the Jersey Mike's Trophy at Blackpool on Tuesday, where a much-changed team drew 2-2 before losing 4-2 on penalties.
Swindon's Form
Swindon Town sit 13th with 11 points from nine games. They were beaten 1-0 at Rochdale last weekend after conceding an 88th-minute winner.
The Robins have made an inconsistent start to the campaign, winning three, drawing two and losing four of their opening nine league fixtures. They enjoyed successive 3-1 victories over Port Vale and Colchester United at The Nigel Eady County Ground in early September, but have not won in six games in all competitions since.
Swindon finished ninth in League Two last season, narrowly missing out on the Play-Offs after losing at home to Chesterfield on the final day.
Managerial View
Ian Holloway has been in charge of Swindon since October 2024, replacing Mark Kennedy with the club struggling towards the bottom of League Two. He steered The Robins away from danger before overseeing a challenge for the Play-Offs last season, and signed a new contract in March 2025 which runs until the summer of 2028.
Holloway said: "They've got a very good front four and they're excellent on the front foot. Sometimes they attack you on their own; they're all looking to run and all willing to run. It's a slightly different DNA than the old Crewe, who passed you off the park. They will try to do that, but they'll also try and bring you out onto them and then go long, hopefully leaving that four-on-four to try and get at you.
"For me, it's about us being positive and on the front foot. Go and attack them. Can we hurt their defence? That's what I want to do. Let's get some goals. We've let too many in, we haven't scored and we've missed too many chances."
Ryan Dicker, Crewe's Assistant Manager, added: "It's going to be a really difficult game. Every time we've played Swindon in recent seasons, it's been a very difficult game, especially at their place. I know they got beaten on Saturday, but we've watched that game and I don't think there was anything in it. Swindon played well but went down to 10 men and conceded really late.
"It's going to be a challenge, but as in every game, our focus is on how we can hurt them, how we can keep scoring goals and come away with three points. Confidence is high and positive."
Head-to-Head Record
Crewe and Swindon have met 51 times in all competitions. The Alex have won 20, Swindon have won 22, and the other nine meetings have ended in draws. The sides shared the spoils last season, with both winning away from home. Swindon recorded a 3-0 victory at Mornflake Stadium in August 2025, before The Alex won 2-1 at The Nigel Eady County Ground in February.
Match Officials and Viewing
The referee will be Jamie O'Connor, assisted by Andrew Ellis and James Tewson, with Ryan Whitaker appointed as fourth official.
Crewe fans based outside of the UK can watch the clash live on iFollow in eligible territories. The action is complemented by live commentary from the BBC Radio Stoke team. Fans in the UK can listen to live commentary on iFollow. The game will also be screened live on Sky Sports+.
For ticket information and details on visiting The Nigel Eady County Ground, including away section access, parking and stadium facilities, contact Swindon Town directly.