Exeter City boss Paul Tisdale has been juggling with his formation in recent weeks in a bid to find a winning formula.

But it is absent players rather than systems that are the biggest bugbear for the Grecians at the moment.

Leading scorer Adam Stansfield and Marcus Stewart are both sidelined by injuries, while Barry Corr is serving a five-match suspension.

Tisdale started with Stuart Fleetwood and Richard Logan up front against Stockport on Saturday, but they failed to make much impression and young West Brom striker Marcus Haber was then given an outing from the bench. The teenage Canadian marksman could go one better by starting the game tonight with Logan the one likely to miss out.

Former Bristol City midfielder Alex Russell could also return to the fray – he had a fine game for the Grecians at the Memorial Stadium earlier in the season and can be a key playmaker.

Saturday's home defeat by the Hatters saw Exeter slip into the bottom four for the first time this season, and Tisdale insists the players need a strong mentality to overcome the threat of the drop.

"I will be asking the players to meet the challenge and not shirk away from it," he said.

"Bristol Rovers are a team that are capable of pushing for the play-offs, there is no doubt about that.

"We know they are a strong side who have been at the level for a while now and it will be a really tough game.

"It will be like chalk and cheese compared to the game we played up there. That was on a very quick, firm surface and we put in a very good performance, albeit we lost.

"It will be hard to play the same football we played that night and a lot has happened in the last 10 weeks. I think it will be a real battle with both sides will be desperate for a win. The weather and the conditions mean it will be an uncompromising, scrappy affair."