Fleetwood Town and Plymouth Argyle will be looking to bounce back from respective losses at the weekend when they meet in their League One clash at Highbury Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The hosts have lifted themselves out of the relegation zone in recent weeks but remain dangerously close, whilst the visitors are hoping to regain their spot in the top six.
Match preview
© Reuters
Despite holding Charlton Athletic for long periods on Saturday, Fleetwood eventually fell to a 2-0 defeat at The Valley.
The loss was only their second in their last seven fixtures though, which has seen Stephen Crainey's side climb out of the relegation places in recent weeks, largely thanks to four wins during that spell.
Back-to-back victories over Bolton Wanderers and Gillingham at the beginning of the spell, and again over Doncaster Rovers and Rotherham United prior to Saturday's defeat, mean Crainey has overseen a successful start to his tenure despite the minor setback at the weekend.
Since taking over from predecessor Simon Grayson, Fleetwood's record now stands at four wins, two draws and four losses across all competitions, which leaves them in 20th spot heading into Tuesday.
With three of those victories and just one of the defeats coming in Crainey's four home matches in charge to this point, the Cod Army will be confident of extending the current one-point gap between themselves and Morecambe in the drop zone when they welcome Plymouth to Highbury on Tuesday.
© Reuters
Meanwhile, whilst Plymouth sit 13 places and 15 points better off than their hosts on Tuesday, their current form does not reflect this gap so much.
Saturday's late defeat to Lincoln City at Home Park saw Steven Schumacher's side drop out of the top six in League One, with his side now three points behind Oxford United in the playoff places ahead of their midweek trip to Fleetwood.
Luke Jephcott had given the Pilgrims a first-half lead at the weekend, but an even encounter swung the way of Lincoln in the end, with Max Melbourne netting a stoppage-time winner for their opponents.
The loss means it is now just two victories in their last nine league fixtures, with six of those games ending in defeat.
Despite three of those setbacks arriving under previous manager Ryan Lowe before his departure for Preston North End, Schumacher's record still stands at only two wins, one draw and three defeats since taking over in December.
Tuesday's trip to a struggling side is a good opportunity for Schumacher and his side to bounce back from successive losses then, with this game in hand providing the opportunity to climb back above Oxford before next weekend.
- W
- D
- L
- W
- W
- L
- D
- L
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Fleetwood's Harrison Biggins will be pushing to regain his place in the starting 11 on Tuesday, with the midfielder having to settle for a place on the bench on Saturday following his troubles with a hamstring injury.
Jay Matete returned to start and play the full 90 minutes against Charlton, so captain Jordan Rossiter is the only absentee as thing stand, with the midfielder being absent since October.
Biggins could replace Daniel Batty in the starting lineup, Callum Johnson is an option ahead of Carl Johnston at right-back, whilst Shayden Morris could earn a start ahead of Cian Hayes.
As for the visitors, Danny Mayor will need to be assessed ahead of Tuesday's trip, after the midfielder was forced to sit out of their defeat at the weekend due to a back problem.
Panutche Camara will be expected to regain his place in the starting lineup after he was only fit enough for the bench following his international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Jordan Houghton could be absent from midfield though, after he was replaced in the second half due to a knock to his previously injured ankle.
Schumacher will be hopeful that he can rely on the services of top goalscorer Ryan Hardie in midweek, after the striker missed a second successive game on Saturday due to a shoulder injury.
Fleetwood Town possible starting lineup:
Cairns; Johnson, Clarke, Jules, Andrew; Matete, Biggins, Camps; Lane, Harrison, Morris
Plymouth Argyle possible starting lineup:
Cooper; Wilson, Scarr, Crichlow-Noble; Edwards, Randell, Camara, Broom, Grant; Hardie, Jephcott
We say: Fleetwood Town 1-1 Plymouth Argyle
We are predicting Fleetwood to frustrate their visitors and pick up a point on Tuesday, with them capitalising on their opponent's recent dip in form.
Should Hardie be fit for Plymouth, they will be confident of picking up the win, but Fleetwood's home advantage means we believe they are capable of getting something out of the game.
Top tip
Matthew Tranter
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Fleetwood Town win with a probability of 38.14%. A win for Plymouth Argyle had a probability of 36.06% and a draw had a probability of 25.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Fleetwood Town win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.22%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.41%) and 2-0 (6.33%). The likeliest Plymouth Argyle win was 0-1 (8.91%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.24%). The actual scoreline of 3-3 was predicted with a 1.1% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a draw in this match.
