The home side is mired in the relegation battle at the bottom of EFL League Two, sitting 23rd in the overall standings with only 12 points to their name this season.
Their already shallow squad has taken several fresh hits in recent fixtures.
Two first-team members, Colchester's Lisbie and Rob Hunter, sustained injuries during the midweek EFL Trophy tie, while Jay Williams picked up a knock in the side's FA Cup match against Worcester. His status for this upcoming league fixture is still listed as doubtful pending final fitness assessments.
League table rankings can often be misleading when assessing the actual strength gap between two competing sides. The apparent difference in the two teams' current standings fails to show their real disparity in overall ability. The home side has been inconsistent in recent matches, with obvious instability across both their attacking and defensive phases of play. Even so, under the head coach's careful tactical refinement, the home team has demonstrated plenty of impressive highlights in their game system, which could easily become their key to victory in this fixture. The two sides are extremely close in overall strength, leaving the final outcome far from predictable. Gillingham have been in solid form lately, with their defensive organization standing out as a consistent strong point across recent fixtures. Their attacking line has also stepped up a gear of late, with forwards showing sharp finishing quality and impressive individual ability, making them a side no opponent can take