Southend United will be looking to continue their mini revival in form in their National League clash with Yeovil Town at Roots Hall on Tuesday evening.
The hosts have picked up some vital results in their last few matches as they look to avoid another relegation, whilst the visitors will hope to return to winning ways following three consecutive defeats.
Match preview
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Southend's narrow 1-0 win at Weymouth on Saturday could prove crucial come May, with the three points lifting Kevin Maher's side four points above their weekend opponents in the relegation places.
The Shrimpers also climbed above Maidenhead United into 19th place, to leave a different outlook heading into Tuesday's meeting with Yeovil, as they could have been returning to Roots Hall inside the drop zone had things played out differently.
Matthew Dennis's goal after just five minutes proved to be the difference in the huge clash at the bottom of the table, which has also extended their impressive run of form to three wins, two draws and just one defeat across their last six games in all competitions.
After losing five of his first six games since taking over in October, Maher's methods seem to be sinking in and taking effect within the squad, with the club legend continuing to turn things around following the disastrous start to the National League campaign.
There still remains plenty of work to be done at Southend however, if they are to avoid humiliating back-to-back relegations in their freefall down the leagues.
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Meanwhile, Yeovil return to National League action following their admirable efforts against Bournemouth in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.
Darren Sarll's side had limited the Championship high-flyers to few chances throughout the encounter, but the clinical finishing of Emiliano Marcondes proved to be the difference, with the Danish midfielder netting a hat-trick.
Joe Quigley had netted three minutes into the second half to bring the Glovers back into the cup tie at 2-1, but eventually Town ran out of steam and could not cause an upset.
That defeat does mean that Yeovil head into Tuesday's trip to Southend on the back of three consecutive losses in all competitions though, as their playoff hopes fade away ever so slightly.
Prior to the run of defeats, Sarll's men had previously gone 11 games unbeaten across all fixtures, with nine wins during that time as well.
The 38-year-old boss will be hoping his side can rediscover that kind of form soon if they are to reignite their small hopes, with three points against their relegation-threatened opponents on Tuesday potentially lifting Yeovil into 11th and to within four points of the top seven depending on how other results turn out on the same evening.
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Team News
Southend's Ollie Kensdale will be hoping to make his debut for the hosts on Tuesday, as he was forced to watch on from the substitutes bench at the weekend, whilst fellow new signing Harrison Neal played the full 90 minutes on his debut.
Kacper Lopata returned in the centre of defence following a recent knee injury and came through unscathed, whilst Nathan Ferguson made a late appearance from the bench following his return from COVID-19 isolation, with him being the latest to return from the recent outbreak.
Jack Bridge and Simeon Akinola remain absent though, with their injuries keeping them sidelined for the last few months.
As for the visitors, Morgan Williams and Matt Worthington passed late fitness tests to start against Bournemouth on Saturday, following their injuries picked up against Torquay United in the previous game.
First-choice goalkeeper Grant Smith will return in goal following his two-match ban served against Torquay and Bournemouth, with Dillon Barnes dropping to the bench.
Several players missed out at the weekend due to COVID-19, so Sarll will be hoping to have them back in time for Tuesday's trip to Southend.
Southend United possible starting lineup:
Arnold; Demetriou, Lopata, Hobson, Ralph; Dennis, Atkinson, Neal, Clifford; Murphy, Dalby
Yeovil Town possible starting lineup:
Smith; Moss, Hunt, Wilkinson, Barnett; Gorman, Worthington, Staunton, Yussuf; Wakefield, Quigley
We say: Southend United 1-1 Yeovil Town
This game appears a tight one to call on Tuesday, with the two sides at opposite ends of the table but heading into the clash on different runs of form.
Yeovil would have been expected to win this game comfortably a few games ago, but with their form taking a turn for the worse, and Southend's on the up, we are going for a draw instead.
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 Southend United win with a probability of 51.46%. A win for Yeovil Town had a probability of 24.37% and a draw had a probability of 24.2%.
The most likely scoreline for a Southend United win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.61%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.65%) and 2-0 (8.94%). The likeliest Yeovil Town win was 0-1 (6.81%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.46%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.7% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Southend United would win this match.
