Altrincham travel to Huish Park this Saturday to face Yeovil Town in a National League fixture that could shape their top-six ambitions. The match kicks off at 3pm on 24 October as part of the league's 14th round of fixtures.

Phil Parkinson's side go into the game sitting sixth in the table with 24 points from 13 matches. Their recent form shows three wins, one draw and one loss from the last five, a run that includes a commanding 6-2 FA Cup victory over United of Manchester last Tuesday. That result followed a goalless draw with the same opponent in a league fixture just three days earlier.

Yeovil Town, however, present a formidable challenge. They are fourth in the standings, having built strong momentum with a sequence of high-scoring wins. Their last five outings have yielded four victories and a draw, including a 6-0 triumph over Wealdstone and a 5-2 win against Leatherhead.

Team news and context

Altrincham's last starting line-up, from the 3-1 win over Aldershot Town on 10 October, featured H. Isted in goal with a defensive unit of R. Lopata-White, J. Cooper, L. Banks and T. Crawford. The midfield and attack were marshalled by M. Kosylo, K. Reddin, O. Khan, S. Taylor, J. Knowles and C. Kirk. Manager Phil Parkinson reported no new injury concerns following the midweek cup tie.

Yeovil, for their part, fielded J. Barker, J. Kingdon and B. Radcliffe in a back three against Wealdstone, with B. McGavin and H. Muller anchoring midfield behind forwards J. Daly and S. Spasov. Daly, the club's top scorer, is expected to lead the line again after netting a hat-trick in the recent 6-0 rout.

The fixture is the first of three away trips for Altrincham within a four-week period, with visits to Harrogate Town and Solihull Moors to follow. Tickets for the Yeovil game are for the Screwfix Stand at Huish Park, with a large travelling support anticipated.

With Altrincham 11 points behind league leaders Boreham Wood, securing a positive result against a direct rival is important for consolidating their playoff place. Their next match after this weekend is another away trip, to Harrogate Town. Saturday's encounter at Huish Park represents a significant test of their credentials against one of the division's in-form sides. A win for Yeovil could see them close the gap on the top three, while Altrincham could leapfrog their hosts with a victory.