Oldham Athletic will be aiming to arrest an alarming dip in form when they welcome local rivals Salford City to Boundary Park for Saturday's evening action in League Two.
After a bright start to the campaign, Micky Mellon's side are on a three-match losing run in the league, although they did pick up a morale-boosting midweek win over Fleetwood Town in the EFL Trophy.
Salford suffered defeat in that competition - going down 2-1 to Sheffield Wednesday on home soil - but they pushed their League One opponents hard in that game and are in form, taking 10 points from the last 12 available in the fourth tier.
Peter Cklamovski certainly appears to be finding his feet in the Ammies dugout and he will hope his side can make the short journey back from Saturday's match with all three points in the bag.
Oldham Athletic v Salford City Tips Summary
Best Bet - Salford City to win @ 13/8
Alternative Bet - Joe Powell to score or assist @ 15/8
Bet Builder - Oliver Norburn to be booked, Calum Kavanagh 3+ shots & Will Aimson 1+ shots @ 11/1
Best Bet: Salford City to win @ 13/8
It was a slow start to the season for Salford under new head coach Cklamovski, who lost his first three League Two matches in charge, leading to one or two questions surrounding his appointment.
Those concerns have quickly disappeared following an upturn in form that has seen the Ammies win three successive home games in the league against Newport County, Port Vale and Swindon Town, as well as earn an entertaining 3-3 draw on the road at Rotherham United.
A much-changed team also impressed in defeat against Sheff Wed in the EFL Trophy and confidence should be high ahead of this trip to Boundary Park where they have also enjoyed recent success.
Salford have triumphed on their last two visits to Oldham and are on a four-match winning run against their Greater Manchester rivals overall, with the hosts' season having run in complete contrast to the Ammies.
Oldham picked up seven points from their opening four league games but have lost three on the bounce since, failing to even score in defeats at Tranmere Rovers and Rochdale.
Momentum and recent history are on the side of Salford, who should be the ones celebrating the local bragging rights at the final whistle.
Alternative Bet: Joe Powell to score or assist @ 15/8
Midfielder Joe Powell arrived at Salford over the summer without much of a scoring reputation, netting just twice in 91 appearances for previous club Rotherham, but he has been amongst the goals since pitching up at the AIG Stadium.
Powell has scored in three successive league games, grabbing the only goals in the victories over Port Vale and Swindon, as well as notching on his return to his former club.
The 27-year-old, who also provided an assist in the opening weekend defeat at Barnet, is a player in form and could have another decisive role to play on Saturday.
Oldham Athletic v Salford City Bet Builder Tip
Oliver Norburn to be booked
Calum Kavanagh 3+ shots
Will Aimson 1+ shots
Pays 11/1
Oldham knew what they were getting when they signed combative midfielder Oliver Norburn, who was sent off twice for former club Notts County last season, including at Boundary Park against the Latics in March.
Norburn has picked up four yellows in seven league outings for Oldham this season and could cross the disciplinary line in this derby contest as well.
Going forward, nobody has offered more for Oldham this season than Calum Kavanagh, who has three goals and three assists to his name following his arrival from Bradford City.
The 23-year-old is averaging more than three shots per game this season and his total of 22 efforts on goal is only bettered by two players in the entire division.
At the other end, Salford defender Will Aimson is averaging more than one shot per match and is a real threat from set pieces, something that could come in handy for his side.
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Key Match Stats
Oldham have lost three League Two matches on the spin.
After a slow start to the season, Salford have taken 10 points from their last four league games.
The Ammies are on a four-match winning run against Oldham.
Oldham's Boundary Park and Salford's AIG Stadium are separated by just 5.5 miles as the crow flies.
Salford's Joe Powell is looking to score for the fourth league game in a row.
Calum Kavanagh has fired off 22 shots in seven league appearances for Oldham.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
