Preview: Stockport County vs AFC Wimbledon - prediction, team news, lineups

Stockport County will be looking to consolidate their position in the League One playoff places when they welcome AFC Wimbledon to Edgeley Park on Saturday afternoon.

The two teams meet for the first time since April 2024 when Odin Bailey scored an 85th-minute winner for the Hatters in a 1-0 home triumph en route to securing promotion as League Two champions.

Match preview

Four days after claiming an important 2-1 home win over Northampton Town, Stockport relied on a exquisite second-half free-kick from Oliver Norwood to salvage a 1-1 draw at Luton Town last weekend.

The stalemate served as a perfectly-timed dress rehearsal for next month’s EFL Trophy final at Wembley, dubbed the ‘battles of the Hatters’, while the point secured also helped County remain fifth in the League One table, albeit hanging on to their playoff place, with the fight for a top-six finish hotting up.

Indeed, just five points separate Dave Challinor’s side in fifth from Luton down in 11th spot, but Stockport crucially have two games in had on almost every team around them and securing victories in both of those would see them move level on points with Bolton Wanderers in third place.

Two of Stockport’s final eight league games are against Wimbledon, a side they have beaten in three of their last four meetings following a run of just one win in their previous 12 encounters across all competitions (D3 L8).

While County head into Saturday’s contest with the ninth-best home record in League One this season (W10 D4 L4), Wimbledon sit eighth in the away from table this term (W6 D4 L9), despite failing to win any of their last four league games on the road (D2 L2).

The Wombles were beaten 1-0 away against Stevenage on March 14 and their winless run has since been extended to three games following a 4-2 home defeat to Leyton Orient and a 1-1 draw with Peterborough United last weekend.

Sitting 14th in the table and eight points above the relegation zone with eight games remaining, head coach Johnnie Jackson will be keen to steer his Wimbledon side to at least a couple more victories to ensure third-tier survival. A late playoff push in unlikely, though, as 10 points separate them from Stevenage in sixth.

Wimbledon may soon have little to play for if the gaps to the top and bottom of the table widen, but they remain well-placed to secure their highest ever Football League finish, potentially eclipsing the 15th-placed spot they achieved in 2016-17.

Stockport County League One form:

Stockport County form (all competitions):

AFC Wimbledon League One form:

Team News

Stockport suffered a major blow earlier this week when the news was announced that defender Brad Hills has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, ruling him out "for the foreseeable future".

Fellow defender Tyler Onyang (hamstring) is sidelined for the rest of the season, while Louie Barry is closing in on a welcome return, but Saturday’s game will come too soon as the forward continues his rehab following a knee operation.

Joseph Olowu is the most likely candidate to replace Hills, joining Ethan Pye and Josh Dacres-Cogley in the back three, with Jack Diamond and Tayo Edun providing the width as wing-backs.

Only Leyton Orient’s Dom Ballard (21) has scored more League One goals this season than Stockport striker Kyle Wootton (18) who could be supported in attack by Tanto Olaofe and either Ben Osborn or Malik Mothersille.

As for AFC Wimbledon, midfield loanee James Tilley is facing weeks on the sidelines through injury, while Sam Hutchinson and Layton Stewart are also in the treatment room. Patrick Bauer, meanwhile, is a fitness doubt.

After recovering from an elbow injury and watching on as an unused substitute in the last three league games, goalkeeper Nathan Bishop could be in a position to start between the sticks at the expense of Joe McDonnell.

Marcus Browne (14) and Matty Stevens (10) have scored 24 goals between them this season in all tournaments and they are both expected to continue in attack this weekend, while former Stockport man Myles Hippolyte is set to continue in midfield.

Stockport County possible starting lineup:

Addai; Dacres-Cogley, Olowu, Pye; Diamond, Norwood, Bailey, Edun; Olaofe, Osborn; Wootton

AFC Wimbledon possible starting lineup:

Bishop; Lewis, Ogundere, Johnson; Nkeng, Smith, Hippolyte, Maycock, Seddon; Stevens, Browne

We say: Stockport County 2-1 AFC Wimbledon

Since the turn of the year, both sides have seen over 2.5 goals scored in 10 of their fixtures across all competitions, so an entertaining contest could be in store this weekend.

While Wimbledon are expected to put up a stern fight at Edgeley Park, Stockport will be regarded as favourites and they should possess the quality required to secure all three points.

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