Rotherham United and Northampton Town square off on Saturday afternoon looking for a win that could move them clear of the relegation zone.
The two teams are separated in the League One table by just the one point, Northampton three places clear of their hosts in 20th position.
Match preview
© Imago
Having established themselves as somewhat of a yo-yo club, Rotherham would have been expecting to be competing at the top end of the table in their first season back in the third tier.
However, it has taken six points from the last four games to keep the Millers outside of the relegation zone, albeit by just the solitary point.
Steve Evans' side have recorded back-to-back home victories over Stevenage and Lincoln City respectively, both opponents sitting above them in the table.
Rotherham's record at the New York Stadium is respectable enough, with a total of 14 points coming from eight matches with just the eight goals conceded.
Nevertheless, having posted successive wins in League One on just one occasion since relegation from the Championship, Evans will recognise that building momentum will be far easier said than done.
Meanwhile, Northampton are currently being managed in an interim capacity by Ian Sampson after Jon Brady stepped down from his role earlier this month.
The Cobblers had been on a run of six games without success before they earned a much-needed 2-1 triumph over Peterborough United last time out.
That win extended their unbeaten run at Sixfields to four matches, but Northampton have issues when it comes to playing away from home.
Just one win has been registered in 10 outings, that coming all the way back on September 21 when they earned a surprise 3-1 victory at Huddersfield Town.
Team News
![Rotherham United manager Steve Evans during the EFL Sky Bet League 1 match between Wycombe Wanderers and Rotherham United at Adams Park, High Wycombe, England, on 24 August 2024. [on August 25, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/34/steve-evans.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Rotherham United manager Steve Evans during the EFL Sky Bet League 1 match between Wycombe Wanderers and Rotherham United at Adams Park, High Wycombe, England, on 24 August 2024. [on August 25, 2024]")
© Imago
Barring any new fitness issues, Evans will almost certainly stick with the starting lineup from the win over Lincoln, where he did not make a substitution until added-on time.
Although a number of changes were made for the EFL Trophy tie versus Tranmere Rovers in midweek, none of the players brought into the team did enough to earn a recall in the league.
Liam Kelly could return to the squad if he is passed fit after illness, the midfielder having missed the last two games.
As for Northampton, Tom Eaves is available again having served a one-match ban for his dismissal against Stevenage.
He could take the place of Sam Hoskins in attack, while Timothy Eyoma, Ben Fox and Tariqe Fosu are all options to come into the team having helped get Sampson's side over the line as substitutes versus Peterborough.
Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Phillips; Rafferty, Raggett, Jules, James; Odoffin, Tiehi, Powell; Nombe, Clarke-Harris, Wilks
Northampton Town possible starting lineup:
Tzanev; McGowan, Guthrie, Guinness-Walker; Chouchane; Odimayo, Hondemarck, McGheehan, Pinnock; Roberts, Eaves
We say: Rotherham United 2-1 Northampton Town
With both teams having got wins on the board lately, this could be a higher-quality fixture than maybe it would have been a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, we are backing Rotherham to come through with the three points, potentially through a late goal.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
