Preview:Fleetwood Town vs Harrogate Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Fleetwood Town and Harrogate Town, separated by only one point in the League Two standings, will meet in a matchday 12 clash on Saturday afternoon.

The hosts are 14th in the league table with 15 points from 11 fixtures, while the visitors are 16th in the standings with 14 points from 11 outings.

Match preview

Fleetwood Town were relegated from League One in 2023-24, and they endured a challenging first campaign back in the fourth division since their promotion in 2013-14.

The Fishermen initially had a strong start to the campaign, placed in and around the playoff places in the early stages, but a disappointing second half to the season saw them fall to an eventual 14th-placed finish.

Pete Wild, in charge since December 2024, would have been hoping to improve upon that result and compete for a playoff place this term, but Fleetwood Town are back in 14th after 11 matches played.

The Fishermen have picked up 15 points from four wins, three draws and four losses in their 11 league fixtures, leaving them three points behind the top seven.

Their league form has been particularly underwhelming in their most recent outings, managing only two wins from their last nine League Two fixtures, alongside four defeats and three draws.

Fleetwood Town did record a confidence-boosting 4-0 victory over Leeds United Under 21's in the EFL Trophy last time out, and they will be hoping to build on that result when they take on Harrogate Town on Saturday.

Since earning promotion from the National League in 2019-20, the visitors have regularly finished in the bottom half of the League Two table, recording 17th, 19th and 19th-placed finishes before rising to 13th in 2023-24, only to slip back down to 18th last campaign.

Simon Weaver, who has been in charge since May 2009 and is the longest-serving manager in the top four leagues, will be aiming to climb back up the table and into the top half this term, and Harrogate Town have had a mixed start in pursuit of that objective.

The Sulphurites have won four, drawn two and lost five of their first 11 league fixtures, leaving them sitting 16th in the standings with 14 points.

After a difficult run of four straight League Two defeats, Harrogate Town bounced back with three straight wins across all competitions, but they suffered another defeat last time out as Crewe Alexandra came from 1-0 down to win 2-1.

Looking to immediately bounce back from that loss and avoid another run of defeats, Harrogate Town will be eyeing their second consecutive win over Fleetwood Town, having defeated the Fishermen 3-1 in their latest meeting in April.

Fleetwood Town League Two form:

Fleetwood Town form (all competitions):

Harrogate Town League Two form:

Harrogate Town form (all competitions):

Team News

Fleetwood Town are expected to remain without Ronan Coughlan, who is yet to make an appearance this season due to an Achilles tendon rupture, but Wild has plenty of other attacking options to choose from.

James Norwood is likely to be the pick of the bunch, with the 35-year-old striker heading into this clash on the back of scoring a hat-trick against Leeds United U21's in the EFL Trophy, while he has now scored six goals across all competitions this term.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Finley Potter and James Bolton have both failed to feature since the clash with Colchester United due to injury issues, meaning Harrison Holgate and Zech Medley are expected to start in central defence.

Meanwhile, Mason Bennett has been forced off in each of the last two matches due to injury problems, meaning a front four of Stephen Duke-McKenna, Ellis Taylor, Reece Smith and Jack Muldoon is likely to start.

In defence, a similar back four that started performed formidably against Crewe Alexadra until the devastating late winner is expected to start.

Fleetwood Town possible starting lineup:

Lynch; Mullarkey, Holgate, Medley, Hume; Helm, Bonds, Davies; Ennis, Norwood, Graydon

Harrogate Town possible starting lineup:

Belshaw; Burrell, O'Connor, Faulkner, Evans; Morris, Sutton; Duke-McKenna, Taylor, Smith; Muldoon

We say: Fleetwood Town 2-1 Harrogate Town

Harrogate Town were undefeated against Fleetwood Town last term, but the hosts are now undefeated in their last five home games, while the visitors have lost two of their last three away league matches, leading us to expect a home win.

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