Wycombe Wanderers and Stockport County square off at Adams Park on Saturday afternoon eager to secure the best draw possible in the playoffs.
With just two points separating third and fifth place in the League One table, both teams will want to prevail in order to secure home advantage for the second leg.
Match preview
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While maintaining the momentum built under Matt Bloomfield prior to his move to Luton Town was always going to be difficult, Wycombe will be disappointed to miss out on automatic promotion.
Given that the Chairboys have won just seven of their last 17 fixtures, they were perhaps fortunate to remain in the hunt for the top two for as long as they did.
However, defeats to Charlton Athletic and Leyton Orient – two potential opponents in the playoffs – where they have conceded five times and failed to score has sucked the momentum out of their efforts to earn a return to the Championship.
With another potential playoff foe in Stockport to come, Mike Dodds is under pressure to deliver a turnaround in form to give the club the best possible chance of salvaging the situation.
Wycombe head into the final home game of the regular campaign having netted just twice in their most recent five fixtures at Adams Park.
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In sharp contrast, Stockport are one of the form teams in the country after accumulating 19 points from a possible 21 since March 29.
As well as winning their last five games at Edgeley Park, Dave Challinor‘s team have kept things ticking over on their travels with seven points from their last four such matches.
Stockport now sit in third place in the standings and with the opportunity to set up a two-legged tie with either Leyton Orient or Reading in the semi-finals.
A draw would also guarantee playing the second leg of their playoff semi-final at home, something that could prove decisive when they have lost just three times in 23 matches at Edgeley Park in the league.
Team News
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After his early withdrawal at Leyton Orient, Wycombe midfielder Josh Scowen faces missing out on this contest.
Alex Leahy and Adam Reach are both options to replace him in the engine room, while Kieran Sadlier is pushing for a return in the final third.
As for Stockport, Jayden Fevrier is in line for a recall having contributed one goal and two assists as a substitute against Lincoln City.
Kyle Knoyle could be the player to miss out if Challinor opts for that particular alteration, with Isaac Olaofe also expected to feature in attack.
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Norris; Grimmer, Bradley, Taylor; Onyedinma, Simons, Scowen, Leahy; Humphreys, Udoh; Kone
Stockport County possible starting lineup:
Addai; Hills, Horsfall, Pye; Fevrier, Norwood, Moxon, Touray; Collar; Olaofe, Wootton
We say: Wycombe Wanderers 1-1 Stockport County
This game will have a competitive feel to it given that they could still meet in the upcoming playoffs. With that in mind, we see a draw being played out, one that may benefit Stockport more so than Wycombe.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
