MX23RW : Saturday, December 14 18:22:04| >> :600:2516786:2516786:
[monks data]
Barrow
League Two | Gameweek 11
Sep 24, 2022 at 3pm UK
The Dunes Hotel Stadium
Leyton Orient

Barrow
0 - 2
Leyton Orient


Kay (87')
Kay (87')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Smyth (36'), El Mizouni (75')
Pratley (30'), Happe (82'), Archibald (86'), Brown (90+8')

Preview: Barrow vs. Leyton Orient - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's League Two clash between Barrow and Leyton Orient, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

The top two sides in the League Two table will do battle on Saturday, as Barrow welcome Leyton Orient to Holker Street.

With 25 points from nine league outings, the visitors find themselves as the only team still unbeaten in England's fourth tier, while their hosts are only four points worse off and will aim to quickly cut that gap.


Match preview

After finishing one place above the relegation zone last season, Barrow have made major improvements at the beginning of the new term, quickly moving to the top of the division with 21 points from their opening nine outings.

Kicking off the campaign with back-to-back wins, the Bluebirds would suffer a first league defeat at the hands of Sutton United, but they quickly bounced back in impressive fashion with three more victories on the bounce against Walsall, Harrogate Town and AFC Wimbledon.

Their growing momentum was again halted by a loss away at Northampton Town, but Pete Wild's side were not derailed, returning to winning ways in the following encounter at home to Doncaster Rovers as Ben Whitfield and Tyrell Warren got on the scoresheet in a 2-0 victory.

Looing to make it seven triumphs from their opening nine games, the Bluebirds most recently travelled to Newport County last weekend, and Josh Gordon opened the scoring on the stroke of half time before netting his and Barrow's second from the penalty spot on the hour mark to wrap up another three-point haul.

Having now jumped up to second spot, with only their visitors topping their tally of 21 points at this stage, Wild's men will look to move closer to the summit of the table with a third straight victory and an eighth of the season at the weekend.

They face a particularly tough test, though, as Leyton Orient arrive looking to maintain an unbeaten record which has spanned the entirety of the league season thus far, with an eye-catching tally of eight wins from their nine outings.

The O's began the campaign with four victories and a draw from their first five outings, only conceding twice as they immediately established themselves as one of the league's tightest defences - a record that has continued as no other side have conceded as few as the four goals that they have shipped in nine encounters.

A 4-2 beating of Hartlepool followed that start, before Richie Wellens's side instantly rebounded from a 5-0 EFL Trophy defeat to Oxford United by winning 2-0 at home to Tranmere Rovers to remain at the summit of the division.

On the back of a 1-0 triumph away at Rochdale, the O's made it five straight league wins and three consecutive clean sheets last weekend, as Omar Beckles hit the only goal at home to Walsall to take their tally to 25 points from just nine games.

They now make the long trip north following a 3-1 cup win over Sutton United, in which Jayden Wareham hit an early brace and Tom James added a third in injury time, and Wellens's men will look to extend their impressive start to the term and stretch their lead at the top of the division with a sixth straight league victory.

Barrow competition form:


Barrow form (all competitions):


Leyton Orient competition form:


Leyton Orient form (all competitions):



Team News

Barrow's line will again be led by key man Josh Gordon, who took his tally to seven league goals for the season with a brace last time out, putting him third in the league's scoring charts.

Ben Whitfield, meanwhile, is shining on the creative front particularly, having combined three goals with a league-high tally of five assists in just nine League Two appearances following his arrival from Stockport Town.

Wild has little reason to make many changes from the 2-0 win away at Newport, with Niall Canavan again set to partner Chelsea loanee Sam McClelland in the middle of the defence and Harrison Neal and Robbie Gotts playing important roles in midfield.

Leyton Orient made wholesale changes for their midweek EFL Trophy outing, but Wellens should revert back to a more familiar starting XI on Saturday, and Jayden Wareham has laid a strong claim to stay in after hitting a brace against Sutton United.

A trio of changes could be made in midfield, with George Moncur and Idris El Mizouni set to return, while Darren Pratley will have to fight with Craig Clay for his spot.

With the O's boasting the league's best defensive record thus far, Wellens should deploy the same back four that kept another clean sheet last weekend, with Dan Happe and Omar Beckles partnering up in the centre and Tom James and Jayden Sweeney operating as full-backs.

Barrow possible starting lineup:
Farman; Warren, McClelland, Canavan, Kenlock; Neal, Foley, Gotts; Whitfield, Gordon, Kay

Leyton Orient possible starting lineup:
Vigouroux; James, Happe, Beckles, Sweeney; Clay, Moncur, El Mizouni; Smyth, Kelman, Sotiriou


SM words green background

We say: Barrow 1-1 Leyton Orient

Both sides have excelled in League Two so far this season, and we cannot quite pick a winner for Saturday's contest, instead opting for a low-scoring draw with the relentless visitors set to face their toughest test yet.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.


Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data


ID:495185:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect13404:
Written by
Sam Varley

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Barrow vs Leyton Orient

Barrow
38.2%
Draw
17.6%
Leyton Orient
44.1%
34
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Callum Hudson-Odoi in action for Bayer Leverkusen on September 7, 2022
Read Next:
How are Chelsea's players performing out on loan?
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Walsall19124335191640
2Port Vale2010642619736
3Crewe AlexandraCrewe199732416834
4AFC Wimbledon19103631161533
5Doncaster RoversDoncaster209652823533
6Chesterfield2087535231231
7Grimsby Town2010192730-331
8MK Dons1893630201030
9Gillingham199282016429
10Bradford CityBradford197752419528
11Notts County197752521428
12Salford City197662019127
13Cheltenham TownCheltenham207582728-126
14Bromley195952323024
15BarrowBarrow196581818023
16Newport CountyNewport196582128-723
17Fleetwood TownFleetwood175752322122
18Colchester UnitedColchester1941052322122
19Tranmere RoversTranmere195681426-1221
20Harrogate TownHarrogate2063111730-1321
21Accrington StanleyAccrington184682533-818
22Swindon TownSwindon2037102334-1116
23Morecambe2035121936-1714
24Carlisle UnitedCarlisle1935111532-1714


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!