Scunthorpe United will need to mount the greatest of escapes if they are to avoid relegation to the National League, and the Irons will be looking to spark such a miracle by ending an eight-game winless run on Saturday when they place host to Harrogate Town in League Two.
Like their hosts, the visitors are also in poor form after failing to win any of their previous seven matches.
Match preview
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Scunthorpe's 72-year stay in the Football League looks to be drawing to a close, with the Irons stranded at the bottom of League Two with just eight games to play.
A run of three consecutive defeats leaves the Irons with a seemingly insurmountable 10-point gap to make up if they are to remain in the Football League.
Their last outing resulted in a demoralising 5-1 defeat away to Salford City that saw the Ammies take a two-goal lead into half time thanks to efforts from Matt Smith and Brandon Thomas-Asante.
Although Joe Nuttall cut the deficit after the interval, the Irons capitulated, with Stephen Kelly netting, while Thomas-Asante scored two more goals to wrap up his hat-trick and a comfortable victory for Salford.
That encounter highlighted the problems that have plagued Scunthorpe throughout the season, with the Irons holding the worst defensive record in League Two after conceding 68 goals.
Harrogate, meanwhile, are set to extend their stay in the EFL, with Town currently 13 points clear of the drop zone.
Their place in League Two may seem assured, but Simon Weaver will be imploring his side to bring their seven-game winless run to an end.
Weaver will also be concerned that his charges have failed to score in four of their last seven outings, including a 3-0 defeat against Leyton Orient in their most recent fixture.
Despite the contest with Orient remaining goalless at half time, a six-minute brace from Aaron Drinan and a Ruel Sotiriou strike condemned Harrogate to their fourth defeat in five matches.
Although their hosts hold the worst defensive record in the division, Harrogate are not without their defensive woes, with Saturday's visitors possessing the second-worst backline in League Two.
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Team News
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Lewis Thompson is a long-term absentee for the hosts, while Mason O'Malley is ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
Sam Burns, meanwhile, could come into the side after featuring as a substitute in the defeat to Salford.
After scoring twice in his last three appearances, Scunthorpe will be looking for Nuttall to provide the goals.
As for the visitors, Brahima Diarra returned to his parent club Huddersfield Town after being ruled out for the rest of the season due to an ankle problem, while a foot injury looks to have ended Josh Falkingham's campaign.
Lewis Richards was forced off in the first half against Leyton Orient and with the defender expected to miss out on Saturday, Simon Power is set to come into the backline.
Luke Armstrong will retain his place in the Town lineup after returning from suspension to start in the defeat to Leyton Orient and the Harrogate top-scorer will be aiming to add to his 11-goal league tally on Saturday.
Scunthorpe United possible starting lineup:
Watson; Rowe, Taft, Delaney; Matheson, Sinclair, Beestin, Cribb, Burns; Nuttall, Feeney
Harrogate Town possible starting lineup:
Oxley; Sheron, McArdle, Burrell; Fallowfield, Thomson, Diamond, Pattison, Power; Beck, Armstrong
We say: Scunthorpe United 2-2 Harrogate Town
Although Scunthorpe need three points to offer a glimmer of hope in their relegation battle, we think that they will have to settle for a point against a Harrogate side that are also enduring a poor spell of form.
Top tip
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 Harrogate Town win with a probability of 47.22%. A win for Scunthorpe United had a probability of 26.89% and a draw had a probability of 25.9%.
The most likely scoreline for a Harrogate Town win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.57%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.21%) and 0-2 (8.67%). The likeliest Scunthorpe United win was 1-0 (8.22%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.3%). The actual scoreline of 0-3 was predicted with a 4.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Harrogate Town would win this match.
