With two draws and a win for United from their previous three meetings with Forest Green over the course of the first half of the season the away side will be looking to claim the points and add to the tally as they come together once again on Tuesday night.
The FA Cup encounter in November needed a replay as the teams battled out a 2-2 draw at the New Lawn, with Nathan Thomas the United headline maker with a stunning brace on the day.
A first goal for the club from Aaron Hayden was enough to take Carlisle through to the third round in December's replay here at Brunton Park as the Blues won the tie by the solitary goal.
Back in September the league fixture had seen the teams slug out a 0-0 draw with chances coming and going at both ends.
Forest Green have found results tougher to come by this month, with just four points from a possible 15. They came from a thrilling 4-3 away victory at Mansfield and a 1-1 away draw at Crawley. Both home games (Salford and Exeter) were lost, and Saturday brought more disappointment when they went down 2-1 at Macclesfield, despite having bagged an early first goal of the game.
Stubborn in defence, with just 27 goals conceded, they still harbour hopes of at least a play-off spot as they sit just two points outside the top seven places.
Joe Mills is a real danger, with eight goals and six assists to his name, but they are a team with a number of dangerous options when it comes to the final third. Jack Aitchison, Matt Stevens, Aaron Collins and Ebou Adams have bagged another 17 goals between them.
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From the head coach
Speaking ahead of the game, Chris Beech said: "We've played them recently but this is a completely different game.
"They've made a few additions, but Mark Cooper has been at the job for five or six years now and I don't think he'll change the way he does things too much.
"He's got them organised and good at what they do, but we'll prepare the right way. We've seen improvements from our players over the time I've been here but I still want more, and that includes building on the positives we produce in the next game and the next game.
"We've had two good games with them but you can't take that as a guarantee of anything. You only get your rewards through hard work and that's what we'll need again on Tuesday night."
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Head2Head
| Carlisle wins | Draws | Forest Green wins | |
| League | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| FA Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 4 | 3 | 2 |
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Highlights from previous meetings
December 2019's FA Cup second round replay went the way of the Blues courtesy of a first-ever goal for the club for big defender Aaron Hayden. It was nip and tuck, but Carlisle went through to face Championship side Cardiff City in the third round.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
United had to come from behind when Aaron Collins netted with just 10 minutes on the clock at Nailsworth in the November 2019 second round FA Cup clash. Goals either side of the break from Nathan Thomas put the Cumbrians in the ascendency, but an own goal from Gethin Jones just two minutes after Thomas had bagged his second left the teams with it all to do again as the game ended 2-2.
Unfortunately we do not hold the rights to the first round match footage.
It was a stalemate here at Brunton Park when these sides met in league action in September 2019. Chances came and went, but the feisty encounter went without goals as five players were booked and one sent off (James Morton).
Watch the highlights from that game here:
United came away from the New Lawn with a 1-1 draw in March 2019, having largely dominated the game. Nathan Thomas bagged the goal, but there were a number of opportunities missed by the Blues as they battled, but ultimately failed, to take all three points.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
It was Rovers who took the honours when they came north in November 2018, earlier in that season, with goals from Ben Morris and Carl Winchester giving them a two-goal cushion. A late penalty from Jamie Devitt gave the Blues some hope, but the away side held out to take all three points.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
The December 2017 away trip to the New Lawn brought an early Christmas present for the Blue Army as Richie Bennett headed home what turned out to be the winner just before the half hour.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
It was the same scoreline here at Brunton Park in January 2018 with the only goal of the game coming in almost the same minute. This time it was Jamie Devitt who found the back of the net when he arrived late to smash a volley into the bottom corner as the ball fell nicely at his feet.
Watch the highlights from that game here:
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The man in the middle
Our referee for this game is Mr Brett Huxtable. He has taken charge of 22 games so far this season showing 82 yellow cards and three reds.
The last time we had Brett as our man in the middle was way back in April 2018 at the County Ground in Swindon. The game was a 0-0 draw and Jamie Devitt and Ashley nadesan had their names taken on the day.
Prior to that he took charge of our 2-2 draw with Chesterfield in October 2017. Danny Grainger and Richie Bennett bagged our goals and Grainger had his name taken, along with Gary Liddle.
Referee - Brett Huxtable
Assistant Referee 1 - Darren Wilding
Assistant Referee 2 - Justin Amey
Fourth Official - Christopher Wade
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Is that a fact?
Forest Green reached the final of the FA Trophy in 1999, making them the first side to reach the final of both the FA Trophy and the FA Vase.
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Match tickets
Full match ticket details are HERE.
You can purchase your tickets online HERE.
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