We spoke to manager Keith Curle on Thursday ahead of the trip to the County Ground to face Swindon Town on Saturday afternoon.
“Swindon have got a new manager in place and they're desperate to try and get into the play-offs as well," he said. "We could be 3-0 up after 25 minutes, like Liverpool were yesterday, and the game could be dead and buried, or it could go right down to the 95th minute.
"There are different ways of winning games of football and we’ve got to make sure we’re ready, willing and able to play our part.
“There will be pressure on Swindon, as there is on us. At this stage of the season a lot of teams enjoy playing away from home because there's less pressure and less anxiety. That will be no different on Saturday. I know Swindon had aspirations to go straight back up this season, whether that was automatically or through the play-offs."
“Everything is made for a good encounter," he continued. "Both teams will want to win the game. I don’t think a draw will suit anybody at this stage of the season. Phil Brown is a good manager with good football knowledge and a good understanding of how to win games.
“I think they went on a very good run at the start of the season, which included beating us on the opening day, although the result that day could have been different. They’ve had a little bit of inconsistency, but they’ve been in and around the play-offs all season.
“Their manager left, then they had a caretaker before appointing a manager on an interim basis until the end of the season. They will be no different to ourselves. They’ll have players in their squad looking to earn contracts for next season and a manager who will want to continue his reign there."
“Swindon are another club, like ourselves, who probably feel they shouldn’t be in League Two," he told us. "To get out of League Two you need to put foundations in place. We aren’t a football club who are going to buy their way out of the division, so we need to build steadily and slowly.
“I think the game will be a little bit cut and thrust with neither team wanting to give any advantage in any way, shape or form. Goals change games and mentalities very quickly. I think there will be goals in the game because both teams know the importance of trying to score.
"I don’t think it will be gung-ho from the beginning and I don’t think it will be a possession based game. I think both teams will want possession in the opposition’s final third and they'll look to create opportunities from there."
Click HERE to watch an interview with Keith Curle on iFollow United now.
