As they fight for automatic promotion in League One, Wycombe Wanderers are set to host Lincoln City at Adams Park on Saturday.
The Chairboys will be looking to build on their win last time out, while the Imps will be aiming to make it three in a row without defeat for the first time since December.
Match preview
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Mike Dodds‘s Wycombe have lost ground in the race for automatic promotion over the past month, and with just three wins from their last seven games, they have been overtaken by Wrexham and dropped down into third place.
However, the Chairboys did win their most recent match against Rotherham United, though they did have to come from behind to beat the mid-table team and played out a dramatic clash that featured three goals at the 90-minute mark or beyond.
That victory kept Dodds’s side within three points of the Red Dragons and five ahead of fourth-placed Charlton Athletic, but they will need to find consistency if they are to close the gap to second.
Playing at home this weekend, the hosts will be hoping that their home crowd can inspire them to back-to-back league triumphs for the first time since November, and the players should draw confidence from the fact that they have earned four wins from their last seven at Adams Park.
Three points on Saturday would be enough for Wycombe to climb back into second place thanks to their superior goal difference, but defeat could see the gap widen to a more troubling six points by the end of the matchday with only eight games to play.
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Meanwhile, Michael Skubala‘s Lincoln have recorded consecutive clean sheets in their last two fixtures, though they remain in mixed form with just three wins from their 11 most recent games.
Last time out, the Imps played out a 0-0 draw against Exeter City, but they did impressively thrash relegation-threatened Bristol Rovers 5-0 in the match prior.
The four points that Skubala’s team earned in those clashes has taken them to 12th place, where they are a comfortable 14 points ahead of Burton Albion in the drop zone.
This weekend’s visitors will be thankful that their status in the third tier is all but confirmed to be secure considering that they have only avoided defeat in three of their away matches across all competitions since mid-December, including back-to-back losses in both of their games on the road this month.
Regardless, if Lincoln are able to pull off an unlikely victory on Saturday, then they could leapfrog Barnsley, move up to 11th place, and take one step closer to mathematical safety in League One.
Team News
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Wycombe striker Richard Kone netted the equaliser for his side last time out, and he will be hoping to fire his team back into the automatic promotion spots as part of a partnership with Adam Reach up front this weekend.
Out wide, left wing-back Luke Leahy, who laid on two assists for his teammates against Rotherham, will be providing support for the strike partnership along with captain Jack Grimmer on the opposite flank.
As for Lincoln, Conor McGrandles and Tom Bayliss will be paired at the base of Skubala’s midfield, while Reeco Hackett-Fairchild will be aiding striker James Collins further forward.
Elsewhere, captain Paudi O’Connor should be joined by Thomas Hamer at the heart of defence, where they will be looking to keep out one of the division’s best clubs and protect George Wickens between the sticks.
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Norris; Low, Bradley, Taylor; Grimmer, Humphreys, Simons, Scowen, Leahy; Reach, Kone
Lincoln City possible starting lineup:
Wickens; Darikwa, Hamer, O’Connor, Roughan; McGrandles, Bayliss; Makama, Hackett-Fairchild, Jeffries; Collins
We say: Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 Lincoln City
Wycombe will be desperate to keep up with Wrexham in the race for promotion, so expect them to deliver a strong performance as they sense an opportunity to put points on the board.
Also, Lincoln may have earned consecutive clean sheets ahead of this weekend, but they have struggled on the road, and it is difficult to picture them avoiding defeat on Saturday.
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