Two sides struggling at the bottom of the League One table will come together on Saturday afternoon when Northampton Town host Crawley Town at the Sixfields Stadium.
The hosts are 19th in the standings with 12 points from 11 matches, while the visitors are sitting in 21st with 10 points from their first 12 league fixtures.
Match preview
© Imago
Northampton have faced a difficult opening to their second season in League One, having secured their promotion after finishing in third place in League Two in 2022-23.
They placed 14th in the table last campaign, comfortably above the relegation zone by 16 points, and would have wanted to build upon that result heading into this term.
However, after 11 games, Northampton have secured just 12 points, leaving them 19th in the table, although they do have at least a game in hand on those around them.
Jon Brady, who has been in charge since February 2021, started the term in fair fashion, drawing two, losing one and winning one, but followed that with just one win in the subsequent five league fixtures, losing four.
A 2-0 win against Notts County in the EFL Trophy has seemingly helped them to recover from that poor run, with the Cobblers winning against Leyton Orient and drawing with Stockport County in their last two outings.
Aiming to win for the third time in four matches and put distance between themselves and the relegation zone, Northampton are set to host fellow strugglers Crawley on Saturday.
The visitors were promoted into League One for the first time since 2014-15 as they won the League Two playoffs last season, beating MK Dons 8-1 on aggregate in the semifinals before defeating Crewe Alexandra 2-0 in the final.
Scott Lindsey guided the team into the 2024-25 season, with Crawley enjoying a fantastic start, winning all four of their opening matches across all competitions.
However, they failed to win any of the following 11 outings across all competitions, suffering 10 defeats and recording just one draw in that time, as well as Lindsey departing in favour of a move to MK Dons.
Rob Elliott was hired to replace Lindsey at the beginning of October, and after losing all of his first four games in charge, they finally secured a win with a superb 3-0 victory against Lincoln City last time out.
The Red Devils will now be aiming to build upon that result and secure a second consecutive victory as they aim to leapfrog Northampton and move out of the drop zone.
Team News
© Imago
Having ended a disappointing barren run with a win and a draw in their last two outings, Northampton could line up with a similar side for this one.
Cameron McGeehan is Northampton's top scorer this season with four goals in 11 appearances, and the midfielder is likely to start once again here.
Elsewhere, the visitors are dealing with a lengthy injury list that includes Patrick Brough, Ali Koiki, Luke Mbete, Harvey Lintott, Callum Morton, Jordan Willis and Aaron McGowan.
As for Crawley, a phenomenal 3-0 win, their first under the management of Elliott, means that the manager is likely to name the same starting 11 here.
Junior Quitirna may be a doubt after being forced off in the 57th minute of that victory, meaning Harry Forster could come into the team.
Northampton Town possible starting lineup:
Burge; Odimayo, Baldwin, Guthrie, Guinness-Walker; Hoskins, Fox, Sowerby, Pinnock, McGeehan; Eaves
Crawley Town possible starting lineup:
Wollacott; Barker, Mullarkey, Flint; Forster, Ibrahim, Williams, Anderson, Kelly; Swan, Darcy
We say: Northampton Town 2-1 Crawley Town
While Crawley did impress in their recent win, Northampton are in much better form heading into this game, and with them also boasting the home advantage, we expect the hosts to win here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ellis Stevens
