Northampton Town shall be attempting to get back to winning ways on Tuesday when they host Walsall after two games without a victory, which has seen them fail to close the gap at the top of the table.
The visitors are also in a desire for points in order to firmly push away from the relegation zone as they begin looking to climb up into the top half.
Match preview
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Northampton Town were handed their ninth defeat of the season on Saturday by Rochdale thanks to a goal from Tahvon Campbell early on in the second half, which kept them in second place.
Right now, the Cobblers are 10 points adrift of Forest Green Rovers, who also boast a game in hand, therefore there is a need to get back to winning ways immediately to keep the title race alive.
However, Jon Brady's team have now gone two matches in a row without a victory, and the squad have also failed to score in either of those games after a goalless draw with Scunthorpe United last week.
At home Northampton have been impressive throughout this campaign, having only lost four times in 16 games, conceding just 10 goals in the process, and they shall be hoping to keep making the Sixfields Stadium a fortress.
The two teams only met at the start of the month, meaning they should be very familiar with each other, and it was the Cobblers who came out on top that day thanks to a goal from Louis Appere.
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Walsall shall be out for revenge this time around, and new manager Michael Flynn will be aiming to continue implementing his own style and ideas onto the team.
They responded well from a heavy 5-0 defeat in midweek by picking up three points and a clean sheet on Saturday with a confident 3-0 win against Hartlepool with a brace from George Miller and a goal by Connor Wilkinson.
The three points were welcomed by the club, who sit just six places above the relegation zone, and while they have an eight-point cushion, they will be hoping not to get dragged into anything for the final stages of the season.
Away from home Walsall have struggled, winning only four times throughout the campaign, and that is something they will be looking to address in the coming weeks.
However, they do have the confidence of playing teams at the top of the table recently, having beaten league leader Forest Green 1-0 recently, which showcases the qualities the team have.
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Team News
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Shaun McWilliams made his return from suspension at the weekend and was brought straight into the starting lineup, while Josh Eppiah was also placed into the team as well, and he could retain his place.
Appere was used as a substitute in that match in what was his own personal comeback from injury, and after getting some minutes under his belt, he could be used from the start this time around.
For Walsall, the partnership of Wilkinson and Miller is sure to continue after the combination provided three goals at the weekend, with the duo hoping to keep that form rolling in midweek.
Lee Tomlin made his debut for the club as a substitute on Saturday, and his experience is something that Flynn may look to call upon at a point in this fixture as well.
Northampton Town possible starting lineup:
Roberts; Magloire, Horsfall, Guthrie; Appiere, Lewis, McWilliams, Koiki; Hoskins, Pinnock, Eppiah
Walsall possible starting lineup:
Rushworth; White, Daniels, Monthe; Osadebe, Labadie, Kinsella, Earing, Shade; Wilkinson, Miller
We say: Northampton Town 2-1 Walsall
Northampton Town need to get back to winning ways if they are hoping to continue placing pressure on Forest Green Rovers, while keeping hold of their own automatic promotion spot.
Walsall are enjoying a new manager bounce right now, therefore they have improved confidence which will make them tricky opponents, but the Cobblers should have enough to edge this one.
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 Northampton Town win with a probability of 53.34%. A draw had a probability of 26.2% and a win for Walsall had a probability of 20.49%.
The most likely scoreline for a Northampton Town win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.73%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (11.06%) and 2-1 (9.07%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.08%), while for a Walsall win it was 0-1 (8.05%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.1% likelihood.
