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

Northampton Town will play their first home game of the season when they welcome Bradford City to Sixfields for Saturday’s League One contest.

The Cobblers lost their opening match of the season against Wigan Athletic, while the Bantams kicked off the campaign with a narrow win over Wycombe Wanderers.

Match preview

Northampton are competing in League One for a third consecutive season after managing to steer clear of the relegation zone last term.

The Cobblers collected 51 points from 46 games to finish in 19th place and five points clear of the bottom four.

They will be hoping to avoid another relegation battle in Kevin Nolan's first full season in charge, although their campaign did not get off to the best of starts in last Saturday's away meeting with Wigan Athletic.

Northampton conceded two first-half goals at the DW Stadium, before they shipped another in the opening minute of the second period, and while Michael Forbes pulled a goal back for his side, the 70th-minute effort failed to change the course of the game.

The Cobblers will now return to the familiar surroundings of Sixfields, where they won just one of their final eight matches of the 2024-25 campaign (D4, L3).

They will be looking to put that poor home run behind them for the new season, but claiming all three points on Saturday will be easier said than done, considering that they have failed to win any of their previous six home games against Bradford (D2, L4).

Bradford are looking to establish in the third tier after securing promotion on the final day of the 2024-25 League Two season.

The Bantams made a winning start to their first League One campaign since 2018-19, edging out Wycombe Wanderers via a 2-1 scoreline at Valley Parade.

Antoni Sarcevic and Bobby Pointon scored inside the opening 13 minutes to put their team in the driving seat, before Wycombe's Daniel Udoh pulled a goal back in the 68th minute.

Bradford ultimately stood firm for the remainder of the contest to record their first victory over Wycombe since March 2013.

The Bantams will now turn their focus to their first away game of the season, and they will fancy their chances of picking up maximum points after winning three of their last four away games against Northampton, including a 2-1 victory in their most recent visit to Sixfields in April 2023.

Graham Alexander has a mixed record in games against Northampton in his managerial career, having won four, drawn three and lost four of their 11 managerial meetings.

Northampton Town League One form:

Bradford City League One form:

Team News

Northampton remain without the services of Liam Shaw and Jon Guthrie, who are continuing to work on their recovery from anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

Michael Jacobs and Kamarai Swyer are also set to miss Saturday's contest, while the game may come too soon for Tom Eaves.

Nolan has confirmed that defender Nesta Guinness-Walker will be available for selection after missing the opening match of the season.

Meanwhile, Bradford's Andy Cook is stepping up his recovery from a long-term knee injury, but there is currently no timeframe on the striker's return to action.

Alex Pattison and Ciaran Kelly are all in contention to feature in the matchday squad after missing the opening game of the season through injury.

Clarke Oduor should also be available for Saturday's fixture, having returned to full training following a concussion.

Northampton Town possible starting lineup:

Burge; Thorniley, Forbes, McCarthy; Burroughs, Campbell, McGeehan, Fornah; List, Hoskins, Wheatley

Bradford City possible starting lineup:

Walker; Pennington, J. Wright, Tilt; Neufville, Power, Leigh, Touray; Sarcevic, Pointon; Humphrys

We say: Northampton Town 1-2 Bradford City

Bradford will be full of confidence after claiming three points on the opening day of the season, and having won three of their last four away games against Northampton, we think that they will enjoy another successful trip to Sixfields on Saturday.

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