Swindon Town's season gets underway this weekend with a Carabao Cup tie against Cardiff City, but the Robins will be without several key players due to injury. Ahead of the match, manager Ian Holloway has given an update on the team's injury situation, with several players set to miss out.
Who's in line to start for Swindon Town?
The Robins will be without Harry Smith, Fletcher Holman, Gavin Kilkenny, James Ball, and Joel McGregor, but others have missed parts of pre-season and may not be ready for full action just yet. Lewis Ward has been pushing for the number one shirt, but Connor Ripley remains the first-choice goalkeeper.
What about the full-back positions?
There was a battle for the right-back spot, with Mitch Clark and Joel McGregor vying for the position, but Clark is now a shoo-in after McGregor's injury. On the left, Billy Kirkman is the presumptive starter, but Sam Inwood could also take that role.
Centre-backs and midfielders
Stephan Negru has been the top performer in pre-season, and Ryan Tafazolli is regarded as the lynchpin of the defence. The holding midfield position has been a churn this summer, with Kilkenny out and James Debayo having a rocky start. Tom Nichols seems set to reprise his role at the base of midfield from last season.
Attack and next fixture
The attack has gone from a place of strength to being short on numbers, with no Holman or Smith in the picture. Next fixture: vs Grimsby (away, 2027-02-27) (16th in the table).
