Newport County will have the opportunity to leapfrog their opponents in the league this Tuesday when they compete against Northampton Town at Rodney Parade.
The hosts come into the contest on a three-game run of undefeated performances, meanwhile the Cobblers will be aiming to respond from their defeat on Saturday.
Match preview
© Reuters
Newport Country currently sit 17th in League Two, with a truly mixed start to the season that has seen them pick up two draws, two defeats and two victories in their opening six matches.
While consistency has been difficult for the team, their ability to earn results is impressive, with the club fighting hard within every game.
Michael Flynn's team head into the match following consecutive draws against Leyton Orient and Harrogate Town, which followed a victory over Plymouth Argyle.
The recent performances helped stop the rot that Newport were suffering from in August, when they suffered their first two defeats of the league, which saw them slide down the table in the process.
The recent games have showcased the quality that is within the team, but they will face stiff competition on Tuesday as Northampton are aiming to return to League One at the first time of asking.
© Reuters
After suffering relegation last season, the Cobblers are pushing to bounce back immediately, and so far they have shown that they have the experience and ability to do exactly that.
Northampton did lose their most recent outing against current league leaders Forest Green Rovers as Jamille Matt helped his team earn a 1-0 win with a 77th-minute goal.
That is one of only two losses that Jon Brady's team have suffered so far this season, which is largely down to how defensively strong they have been.
The Cobblers have only let in four goals all season, but the fact they have only scored five is where some of their issues have been, and this will need addressing if they are wanting to climb into the playoff positions.
- W
- L
- W
- L
- D
- D
- W
- L
- L
- W
- D
- D
- W
- W
- L
- D
- W
- L
- L
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Flynn brought in Priestley Farquharson for the draw against Harrogate, with Timmy Abraham coming out of the starting lineup, which is something he might choose to repeat on Tuesday.
Finn Azaz also got the chance to perform on Saturday after being brought on at half time, and he could end up being used from the first whistle against the Cobblers after his impressive link-up play with Matty Dolan.
Newport had a major boost before Saturday as many squad players returned after the club was depleted due to COVID-19, with nine players suffering because of it, which means Flynn has plenty of options available once again.
Northampton are currently dealing with the loss of club captain Joseph Mills after he fractured his ankle at the end of August against Crawley Town.
They are also now without Sid Nelson, who has recently suffered knee ligament damage during a training ground injury, which is set to rule him out for the foreseeable future.
Newport County possible starting lineup:
Day; Dolan, Farquharson, Demetriou; Norman, Upson, Bennett, Haynes; Cooper, Fisher, Willmott
Northampton Town possible starting lineup:
Roberts; Koiki, Guthrie, Horsfall, McGowan; Lewis, Flores, McWilliams; Hoskins, Rose, Etete
We say: Newport County 2-2 Northampton Town
Newport County have been building up some great momentum lately and scoring goals is something they have been good at, which will certainly face a test against such a strong defensive team.
With both clubs having mixed form and neither truly dominating in their opening games, it could be a day for the spoils to be shared.
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 Newport County win with a probability of 46.74%. A draw had a probability of 29.5% and a win for Northampton Town had a probability of 23.75%.
The most likely scoreline for a Newport County win was 1-0 with a probability of 16.23%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.06%) and 2-1 (7.98%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 0-0 (13.1%), while for a Northampton Town win it was 0-1 (10.39%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 10.4% likelihood.
