One week on from their nerve-wracking 1-1 stalemate, playoff hopefuls Southend United anticipate the challenge of Bromley at the Roots Hall this Sunday.
Despite a 22-point margin between the teams in the National League table, the contest promises to be an enthralling affair based on the evidence of Boxing Day's meeting.
Match preview
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Southend United picked up arguably their most impressive result so far in their clash versus Bromley last Sunday which ended all square.
Kevin Maher's men went behind in the 64th minute thanks to Michael Cheek's opener, but they drew level in next to no time through Matthew Dennis.
The Shrimpers remain in the lower echelons of the National League table, just a point above the drop zone as the season approaches its midway point.
Next up is a second-ever contest versus Bromley with both sides in desperate need of all three points, albeit for very different reasons.
Ahead of a crucial relegation six-pointer versus Weymouth six days later, Sunday's hosts will be keen to set the tone with an impressive display this weekend.
Bromley suffered a first defeat in five outings last time out when they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Maidenhead at the York Road on Tuesday.
Nathan Blissett was the match winner as he broke the deadlock midway through the second half to sink Andy Woodman's men.
That defeat denied the Lillywhites an opportunity to claim top spot in the standings, and they currently sit fifth, two points off the summit.
While Sunday's visitors possess the best home record in the division this term, their away form leaves a lot to be desired with 11 matches away from home yielding only eight points.
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Team News
Abu Ogogo has missed the hosts' last seven games across all competitions due to a heart condition, and the 32-year-old will not play any part on Sunday.
With no fresh injury or suspension concerns, Kevin Maher is expected to name the same starting lineup from the reverse fixture, with Will Atkinson and Zak Brunt spearheading the attack in a 4-4-2 system.
Twenty-one-year-old George Alexander was subbed off less than an hour into Bromley's last outing following an unimpressive display and could drop to the bench for this one.
Michael Cheek has found the back of the net 14 times so far, but the Englishman has not scored away from home since October and now is as good a time as any to end that barren run.
Southend United possible starting lineup:
Arnold; Dunne, Hobson, Ralph, White; Dalby, Demetriou, Dennis; Clifford, Atkinson, Brunt
Bromley possible starting lineup:
Cousins; Webster, Trotter, Sowunmi, Sablier; Cheek, Coulson, Dennis, Forster; Bush, Arthurs
We say: Southend United 1-2 Bromley
We expect another close game between the sides as both teams will feel they have what it takes to claim all three points. That said, we are tipping the away side to narrowly get the job done in the end.
Top tip
Adepoju Marvellous
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 Southend United win with a probability of 44.16%. A win for Bromley had a probability of 30.79% and a draw had a probability of 25%.
The most likely scoreline for a Southend United win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.5%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.11%) and 2-0 (7.32%). The likeliest Bromley win was 0-1 (7.68%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.83%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 7.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Southend United would win this match.
