Preview:Wycombe Wanderers vs Stockport County - prediction, team news, lineups

On the back of contrasting opening results in the 2025-26 League One campaign, Wycombe Wanderers and Stockport County renew hostilities at Adams Park on Saturday afternoon.

Mike Dodds's men succumbed to a 2-1 loss to Bradford City in their first third-tier affair of the campaign, whereas their visitors took down Bolton Wanderers in front of the home faithful.

Match preview

Starting 2025-26 as they ended 2024-25, Wycombe were the victims of a 13-minute flurry from newly-promoted Bradford in gameweek one, where Antoni Sarcevic's sixth-minute header and Bobby Pointon's fine low strike just seven moments later gave the hosts a comfortable cushion early doors.

Dodds's side belatedly cut the deficit in half through Daniel Udoh midway through the second half, before being up in arms after feeling Joe Wright had illegally blocked a shot with his own arm inside the penalty area, but their pleas for a penalty went unrewarded.

Wycombe's 17th-placed standing in the League One table means nothing at such an early stage of proceedings, but defeat at Bradford prolonged a worrying trend for Saturday's hosts, who have now failed to triumph in any of their last six league contests after a five-game winless streak to end 2024-25.

The Chairboys have also struck just a measly two goals in that time, while only one of their last five League One contests at Adams Park has ended in success; a 1-0 beating of Stevenage on April 12.

Any fans holding out hope of an end-to-end thriller may be left disappointed too, as across Wycombe's last 10 home matches in the English third tier, there has only been one instance of both teams finding the back of the net.

However, that instance came against none other than Stockport in a 3-1 loss to Saturday's visitors at the beginning of May, so the Hatters have momentum on their side in more ways than one heading into matchweek two.

New signing Malik Mothersille endeared himself to the Edgeley Park crowd straight away against Bolton, as the former Chelsea academy product poked in the opening goal on the stroke of half time, before Kyle Wootton's late header extinguished any hope of a Trotters turnaround.

Kicking off their next quest for promotion in perfect style, Dave Challinor's side - who suffered playoff heartbreak at the hands of Leyton Orient last season - are already occupying a playoff spot in the rankings, and they intend to stay there for the next 45 gameweeks; however challenging that may be.

Now hitting the road for the first time in 2025-26, the visitors can be encouraged by a four-match unbeaten sequence in League One away games, while only one of their last seven third-tier matches on enemy territory has ended in defeat.

Furthermore, it has been just over three months since Stockport ran out 3-1 winners on Wycombe's turf, although the Chairboys obliterated the Hatters 5-0 at Edgeley Park in November 2024, adding another layer of unpredictability to Saturday's showdown.

Wycombe Wanderers League One form:

Stockport County League One form:

Team News

Wycombe came out of their opening-day loss to Bradford unscathed on the fitness front, but the in-demand Richard Kone was not involved after multiple transfer offers were received for the 2024-25 League One Player of the Year.

However, Dodds confirmed after the game that he plans to reintroduce Kone this weekend unless he is instructed otherwise by his superiors, but Udoh will not give up his attacking berth easily after his consolation goal last weekend.

Similarly, Stockport boss Challinor should be working with an identical set of players from the opening weekend, and the visiting coach should see little reason to alter a winning formula.

Ex-Peterborough winger Mothersille and 28-year-old Wootton are set to link arms in the final third again, as former Sheffield United lynchpin Oliver Norwood mans the midfield.

Two new signings are competing for left-back minutes - Burnley loanee Owen Dodgson and ex-Cambridge United veteran Danny Andrew - and the latter may have a case to start after delivering the cross for Wootton's header last time out.

Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Van Sas; Grimmer, Casey, Hagelskjaer, Harvie; Leahy, Mullins; Onyedinma, Westergaard, Lowry; Udoh

Stockport County possible starting lineup:

Addai; O'Keeffe, Connolly, Pye, Andrew; Norwood, Moxon; Mothersille, Camps, Diamond; Wootton

We say: Wycombe Wanderers 1-2 Stockport County

Both Dodds and Challinor are still familiarising their new recruits with their team's patterns of play, and the latter did not pull up trees for the first 45 minutes of their Bolton success.

However, Wycombe's offensive struggles are showing no sign of ending anytime soon, and even if Kone is back involved for the hosts, we can only envisage Stockport making it two for two.

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