Exeter City, aiming to rebound from back-to-back league defeats, are set to host League One leaders Wycombe Wanderers at St James Park on Tuesday night.
The hosts are 11th in the table with 23 points from their 16 outings, while the visitors sit in first place with an impressive 38 points from their first 16 games.
Match preview
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Exeter City have gradually progressed up the League One table in the two seasons since earning their promotion to the third tier with a second-placed finish in League Two in 2021-22.
They finished 14th in 2022-23, their first season back in the third tier since 2011-12, followed by a slight improvement to 13th in 2023-24, and they will be aiming to move up the standings once again this year.
Gary Caldwell, in charge since October 2022, has guided the side to 11th in the league after 16 fixtures this campaign, having won seven, drawn two and lost seven, leaving them with 23 points.
Their form has taken a slight decline in recent outings, having suffered four losses in their last six league fixtures, including back-to-back losses to Wrexham (3-0) and Birmingham City (2-0) in their last two games, two sides that sit second and third in the league respectively.
Having already matched up with two of the top three in the table, Exeter's challenging run of fixtures is set to continue on Tuesday as they complete the trio, set to face league-leading Wycombe.
Wycombe have had an exceptional start to the 2024-25 campaign, especially given they have failed to even place in the playoff positions in either of the last two years, placing ninth in 2022-23 and 10th in 2023-24.
Matt Bloomfield's side have won 12, drawn two and lost two of their opening 16 league fixtures, leaving them top of the table with an impressive 38 points, four ahead of second-placed Wrexham, who have played a game more.
Third-placed Birmingham have one game fewer, meaning they could move within two points of the leaders if they win their game in hand, leaving Wycombe needing to continue their strong form to build a bigger lead at the top of the table.
The visitors will be extremely confident heading into this match given they have won all of their last 11 matches across all competitions, and they have remained without defeat in 13.
Team News
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After three games without a win, including two back-to-back losses, Exeter ended that run with a 2-0 victory against Chesterfield in the FA Cup, and Caldwell could name a similar side here.
Exeter have failed to score in their last three League One fixtures, but with Josh Magennis back amongst the goals in their latest victory, they will be relying on the striker to make the difference in this one.
Having avoided any fresh injury concerns in recent weeks, Wycombe could name a similar side to the one that has remained undefeated in their last 13 matches across all competitions.
Richard Kone has netted nine times in 16 League One appearances, 12 in 24 across all competitions, and the striker is likely to lead the line once again here.
Exeter City possible starting lineup:
Whitworth; McMillan, Crama, Francis; Sweeney, Richards, Woods, Niskanen; Aitchison; Alli, Magennis
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Ravizzoli; Pattenden, Low, Taylor, Harvie; McCleary, Leahy, Morley, Humphreys, Onyedinma; Kone
We say: Exeter City 0-3 Wycombe Wanderers
Exeter have failed to score in their last three League One fixtures and are coming into this one after back-to-back league losses, while Wycombe have won all of their last 11 and have scored a huge 36 times in 16 league games, leading us to believe the visitors will secure a big win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
