SCENE-SETTER
The Iron come into the encounter after playing the majority of their midweek match at Cambridge United with ten men following the early dismissal of midfielder James Perch. Rory McArdle grabbed his second and third goals of the season from set-pieces but it wasn't enough to prevent defeat at the Abbey Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Silkmen come into the game after a slender home defeat in midweek, with Morecambe taking all three points following a 1-0 win at Moss Rose. Macclesfield have won two and lost two in their opening four league games.
TEAM NEWS
Iron boss Paul Hurst confirmed to the press ahead of the game that the appeal for the dismissal of James Perch was denied, so he will begin the first of a three-match suspension this weekend after he was shown a straight red card for serious foul play in midweek.
Meanwhile, Jordan Clarke got minutes in midweek as he returned from a quad injury. Ryan Colclough (groin) will be assessed in training to see whether he will make the travelling squad while Kevin van Veen has taken part in small bits of training, but the weekend will probably come too soon for his involvement.
Clayton Lewis (thigh) has resumed training and did get minutes for the Under-23s in midweek, as did Jacob Bedeau (knee), but both remain a while away from first team contention.
Elsewhere, Andy Dales (hamstring), Levi Sutton (knee ligaments) and Lewis Butroid (ankle) are still out due to injuries picked up in pre-season.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Macclesfield Town manager Daryl McMahon, in the build-up to the game, said: "We are a very young team and as the season goes on, there will be a lot of bumps in the road, but we’ll stick with the young players and improve them.
"I believe in them, they’re good players and a massive reason why I came to the football club. The players that we have and that we can develop is really exciting, and they will learn from this tonight."
PAST MEETINGS
It's been over 14 years since the two teams last locked horns and almost 15 years to the day since the two sides last met at Moss Rose.
Both encounters in 2004-05 ended in draws, with Matt Sparrow and Paul Hayes twice putting the Iron ahead in the away encounter in August 2004 before being pegged back, while the encounter at Glanford Park finished goalless despite dominance from the home side.
| SEASON/DATE | COMPETITION | RESULT | IRON SCORERS |
| 2004-05 - Sat Apr 2 | LG 2 | Iron 0-0 Macclesfield | |
| 2004-05 - Sat Aug 28 | LG 2 | Macclesfield 2-2 Iron | Sparrow, Hayes |
| 2003-04 - Sat Apr 24 | DIV 3 | Iron 1-0 Macclesfield | Torpey |
| 2003-04 - Sat Nov 15 | DIV 3 | Macclesfield 2-2 Iron | Beagrie, MacLean |
| 2002-03 - Sat Mar 8 | DIV 3 | Iron 1-1 Macclesfield | Hayes |
| 2002-03 - Sat Sep 21 | DIV 3 | Macclesfield 2-3 Iron | Carruthers, Torpey 2 |
| 2001-02 - Tue Feb 12 | DIV 3 | Iron 1-1 Macclesfield | Torpey |
| 2001-02 - Sat Sep 1 | DIV 3 | Macclesfield 4-3 Iron | Jackson, Carruthers, Sheldon |
| 2000-01 - Mon Jan 1 | DIV 3 | Iron 2-2 Macclesfield | Ipoua, Stamp |
| 2000-01 - Sat Aug 12 | DIV 3 | Macclesfield 0-1 Iron | Hodges |
| 1997-98 - Sat Apr 11 | DIV 3 | Iron 1-0 Macclesfield | Pemberton |
| 1997-98 - Tue Jan 20 | DIV 3 | Macclesfield 2-0 Iron | |
| 1969-70 - Tue Nov 18 | FAC R1 R | Iron 4-2 Macclesfield | Keegan 2, Rusling, Cassidy |
| 1969-70 - Sat Nov 15 | FAC R1 | Macclesfield 1-1 Iron | Heath |
| SCUNTHORPE WINS | DRAWS | MACCLESFIELD WINS | |
| League | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| FA Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 7 | 2 |
ELSEWHERE IN LEAGUE TWO
Bradford City vs Forest Green Rovers (3.00pm)
Cambridge United vs Oldham Athletic (3.00pm)
Carlisle United vs Salford City (3.00pm)
Cheltenham Town vs Swindon Town (3.00pm)
Colchester United vs Northampton Town (3.00pm)
Grimsby Town vs Port Vale (3.00pm)
Leyton Orient vs Crawley Town (3.00pm)
Mansfield Town vs Stevenage (3.00pm)
Morecambe vs Exeter City (3.00pm)
Newport County vs Crewe Alexandra (3.00pm)
Plymouth Argyle vs Walsall (3.00pm)
