Going into the game, Port Vale were lying in last place in the League One table, nine points away from safety, and Rovers were in 17th position, just a single point above the relegation zone, but with games in hand on all of the teams around them. First-team coach Paul Trollope named an unchanged starting eleven from the previous game against Crewe Alexandra, with the only change to the matchday sixteen coming on the bench, where Lewis Haldane was recalled in place of Byron Anthony.