Preview: Lincoln City vs. Northampton Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams battling outside the League One playoff positions will meet on Friday night as Lincoln City host Northampton Town.

The hosts are without a win in their past five matches in all competitions, while the visitors head into the game following a midweek defeat.

Match preview

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Lincoln City currently sit in ninth place, and with only nine points between them and the playoff positions, they will be aiming to mount a challenge for the top six during the busy period.

However, the Imps are undergoing a difficult December as they have failed to win a single game throughout the entire month in all competitions.

Michael Skubala's men have drawn two of their five matches across that period, but their previous two matches have both ended in defeats, with their most recent coming against Bolton Wanderers.

It took until the 89th minute for the Whites to break them down, with the situation not being helped by the fact that Lincoln City were down to 10 men for the final 10 minutes of the game due to Daniel Mandroiu being sent off.

However, the Imps have proven tough to score past when playing at home this season, and that is something they will be hoping to continue for this fixture on Friday.

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The visitors also suffered a defeat in midweek which they will attempt to put behind them on Friday, especially since it was a 3-0 loss that saw Stevenage dominate possession.

Northampton Town registered just two shots throughout the entire game, which was a cause for concern, therefore there will be some pressure on the attackers to step up this weekend.

That brought an end to a three-match winning run that they had been enjoying, which has allowed them to climb the league table heading into the turn of the year.

Northampton Town are just two points behind Lincoln City at the moment, giving them plenty to play for in this match as a victory would allow them to leapfrog the Imps.

However, the have been weaker on the road this season, winning just three games away from home which is a situation they must improve.

Team News

Lincoln City will be without Mondroiu as he is suspended, and that will force a chance for the attacking setup for the team on Friday.

The rest of the team could be kept similar considering the close contest that provided for Bolton Wanderers, with the Imps potentially focusing on momentum.

The visitors have a plethora of injury problems at the moment as Lee Burge, Tyler Magloire, Max Dyche and Ben Fox are all on the sidelines at present.

Sam Hoskins will be expected to provide width in this game, with Mitch Pinnock likely to be on the other side as the Cobblers try to provide more attacking quality.

Lincoln City possible starting lineup:

Jensen; O'Connor, Jackson, Mitchell; Sorensen, Erhahon, Bishop, Burroughs; Vale, Makama, Hamilton

Northampton Town possible starting lineup:

Thompson; McGowan, Guthrie, Sherring, Brough; McWilliams, Sowerby; Pinnock, Leonard, Hoskins; Bowie

We say: Lincoln City 1-1 Northampton Town

There is very little to split these two teams in the league table right now, and that should lead to a closely contested game on Friday night.

With each team looking to get back to winning ways, it would not be a surprise to see them cancel each other out and play to a draw.

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