Both aiming to bounce back from defeats suffered last weekend, Bradford City and Newport County will square off at Valley Parade on Saturday.

The visitors dropped to sixth place in the League Two table after their loss to Hartlepool United last time out but remain just a single point behind the automatic promotion places.

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After a dismal run of form in February left them 12th in League Two, after hoping for a promotion push at the beginning of the season, Bradford City made the decision to dismiss manager Derek Adams, with former Manchester City and Stoke City boss Mark Hughes now at the helm.

He was initially unable to stop the rot, overseeing defeats to Mansfield Town and Swindon Town in his first two games, before the Bantams were finally able to put an end to a five-game losing run with an eye-catching 2-0 victory away at league leaders Forest Green Rovers.

They built on that with another impressive win, defeating Hartlepool United away from home by the same scoreline, thanks to goals from Matty Foulds and Yann Songo'o, but were unable to make it three wins on the bounce last weekend.

Hughes's men hosted Port Vale most recently, and, despite Charles Vernam pulling a goal back with 20 minutes to go, they eventually fell to a 2-1 defeat at Valley Parade.

Having dropped as low as 15th following that defeat, the Yorkshire outfit will be desperate to climb towards a higher mid-table finish with a return to winning ways at the weekend.

They meet a Newport side also desperate to bounce back from a loss, with the visitors involved in a heated battle for promotion.

The Exiles improved their claim for an automatic climb to England's third tier with a run of three straight victories at the beginning of March, firstly defeating Bristol Rovers and Stevenage before goals from Mickey Demetriou and Finn Azaz saw them leave Carlisle United with an impressive 2-1 win.

However, James Rowberry's side were unable to extend their winning run last time out, eventually falling to a 3-2 defeat in a dramatic contest with Hartlepool as Rob Street's equaliser was quickly followed by a decisive 73rd-minute goal from Neil Byrne.

That saw them fall to sixth spot, but, with three teams winning automatic promotion and just one point between themselves and third-placed Northampton Town, they could quickly climb back into an enviable position with a win in Yorkshire.

Team News

Bradford City's line will be led by Andy Cook, who has netted 11 League One goals so far this term, while Bolton Wanderers loanee Nathan Delfouneso was drafted in to support the front man last time out.

Winger Charles Vernam will be vying to feature from the start after his goal off the bench in the last match, while midfielder Jamie Walker is also pushing to break into the XI.

Paudie O'Connor and Yann Songo'o have built an established partnership at the heart of a back four, and that should remain unchanged with Matty Foulds and Luke Hendrie playing either side.

The Bantams will have to watch out for Newport forward Dom Telford, who leads the league's scoring charts with 24 goals in just 29 appearances this term.

Exciting prospect Finn Azaz will likely support the front two of Telford and Rob Street, with Matt Dolan and Scot Bennett anchoring at the base of midfield.

Bradford City possible starting lineup:
Bass; Hendrie, Songo'o, O'Connor, Foulds; Evans, Cooke; Pereira, Delfouneso, Vernam; Cook

Newport County possible starting lineup:
Day; Norman, Clarke, Demetriou, Haynes; Bennett, Dolan; Cooper, Azaz; Street, Telford

We say: Bradford City 1-2 Newport County

With both sides keen to bounce back to winning ways, this could certainly be a hotly-contested affair.

Given their quality over the course of the season and the need for three points in the promotion race, we just give the edge to the visitors, who will be vying to climb back into the top three.

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