Southend United will be bidding to make it three National League victories in a row when they welcome Boreham Wood to Roots Hall on Tuesday night.
The home side are currently 13th in the table, boasting 53 points from their 40 league matches, while Boreham Wood occupy ninth, eight points behind seventh-placed Notts County.
Match preview
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Southend made it back-to-back National League victories on Saturday afternoon, with Kenny Clark scoring the only goal of the contest against Halifax Town to secure all three points.
Kevin Maher's side were also victorious against Barnet on April 18, with the two wins following five straight defeats, and the Blues will be determined to end what has been a difficult season in a positive manner.
Promotion back to the Football League was on the agenda for Southend at the start of the campaign, but they have never looked capable of even finishing in a playoff spot, and the Essex outfit are currently down in 13th spot in the table, 17 points behind the top seven ahead of their return to action against Boreham Wood.
Maher's team will take on Wrexham, Weymouth and Torquay United in their final three league games of the campaign, and the club's thoughts will already be on next season, with a return to League Two very much the target.
Southend have won nine, drawn three and lost seven of their 19 home league matches this season to collect 30 points, while Boreham Wood have picked up 22 points from their 18 fixtures on their travels.
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Boreham Wood, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 2-0 win over Bromley on Saturday, which proved to be their first success in the league since the end of February.
The Wood, who finished 14th in the National League last season, are currently ninth in the division, eight points behind seventh-placed Notts County with a game in hand.
Luke Garrard's side can still finish in the playoffs, but a lot would have to go their way in the final stages of the season, and it does seem probable that they will again play in the National League next term.
Boreham Wood will take on Stockport County, Wrexham, Yeovil Town and Grimsby Town in their final four league matches of the regular campaign, and they will then hope to have some playoff games.
Garrard's team have not been victorious on their travels in the league since the end of January, though, and they will be travelling to a team that has been boosted by two recent victories.
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Team News
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Southend boss Maher has said that he will need to check the fitness of Noor Husin, Kenny Clark and Jack Bridge ahead of this match, with all three players picking up injuries on Saturday.
Clark is believed to be winning his battle to shake off a calf issue, but Husin and Bridge have hamstring problems, and it seems unlikely that either player will be in the starting side.
Southend are also expected to be without the services of Tom Clifford due to a hip problem, so the home side will not be at full strength for the visit of Boreham Wood.
The visitors had Nathan Ashmore between the sticks against Bromley, with the stopper making his first start since October, and he is expected to retain his spot in the side for this match.
Mark Ricketts and Will Evans also came into the first XI on Saturday, and it would not be a surprise to see the duo keep their spots due to positive performances against Bromley.
Having not suffered any fresh fitness issues last time out, the same team could take to the field for a second successive match, with Spaniard Jacob Mendy featuring in the first XI.
Southend United possible starting lineup:
Arnold; Clark, Davies, Gubbins, Hobson; Demetriou, Dunne, Atkinson, Neal; Cardwell, Dalby
Boreham Wood possible starting lineup:
Ashmore; Fyfield, Ricketts, Stephens, Evans; Clifton, Mafuta, Lewis, Mendy; Boden, Marsh
We say: Southend United 1-1 Boreham Wood
Boreham Wood need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive, but Southend will be feeling confident following back-to-back victories. The Blues have been disappointing for much of the season but are still capable of matching any side on their day, and we are tipping a low-scoring draw in this contest.
Top tip
Matt Law
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 Southend United win with a probability of 41.32%. A win for Boreham Wood had a probability of 31.71% and a draw had a probability of 27%.
The most likely scoreline for a Southend United win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.23%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.57%) and 2-0 (7.53%). The likeliest Boreham Wood win was 0-1 (9.54%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.79%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with an 11.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Southend United in this match.
