Northampton Town shall be continuing to push for promotion this weekend when they welcome Hartlepool United, who are a team that will not have given up on a late playoff push.
The hosts currently find themselves in the automatic positions, and they could possibly climb into second with a victory, while the visitors need a run of momentum if they want to make a surge up the table.
Match preview
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Northampton Town are enjoying a fantastic season right now, which has put them in the mix for promotion contention, and the fact they are in third place puts them in a strong position right now.
However, it is extremely tight at the top of the table, as two teams below them share the same number of points, which places a lot of pressure on the team in each match.
The Cobblers are relying on goal difference at the moment, which could be the case at the end as well, which is why it is crucial they not only defend well, but add some goals to their performances.
Jon Brady's team have been left frustrated lately, winning only twice in their previous six matches, with a trio of defeats taking place in that period as well.
One of those losses took place during their most recent outing against Bristol Rovers, when Harry Anderson scored in the first minute, which Northampton were not able to respond against.
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While the hosts have been hit and miss as of late, the visitors have been slightly stronger, winning three times, drawing once, and suffering two draws in their previous six matches.
Despite the fact that they are currently 12th in the league, Hartlepool United will likely have the belief that they can make a late surge towards the playoff positions with a strong run.
They are 10 points away from those positions right now with a game in hand on all the existing teams in those spots, which is why the club certainly still has the potential to reach that.
After two games without scoring a goal, Graeme Lee's team got back to their offensive best during their most recent outing, which was a five-goal thriller that they won 3-2.
Hartlepool also took three points the last time they met their opponents, with a 2-1 victory as they fought back from behind with David Ferguson and Luke Molyneux getting on the scoresheet that day.
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Team News
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Northampton will be missing Tyler Magloire this weekend after he suffered a dislocated shoulder during their recent match with Bristol Rovers, which is going to force at least one change.
Shaun McWilliams is set to miss the entire season through injury, and Ali Koiki is also unavailable for around a month, which has led to Scott Pollock returning from loan to add to the squad.
Hartlepool were without Mark Shelton in their most recent match, and that is likely going to be the case at the weekend once again.
The club also lost Gavan Holohan recently who joined Grimsby Town, which was not an ideal situation for the club at this stage in the season.
Northampton Town possible starting lineup:
Roberts; McGowan, Horsfall, Guthrie, Mills; Pollock, Sowerby; Pinnock, Lewis, Hoskins; Appere
Hartlepool United possible starting lineup:
Killip; Byrne, Liddle, Odusina; Ferguson, Smith, Featherstone, Sterry; Molyneux, Crawford, Bogle
We say: Northampton Town 2-1 Hartlepool United
Both teams have plenty to play for in the final sections of the season, with each team wanting to push for a promotion into League One at the end of this campaign.
Picking up three points here would be important for each squad, and Northampton Town might be able to just edge this, purely down to the home advantage.
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 Northampton Town win with a probability of 48.41%. A draw had a probability of 26.5% and a win for Hartlepool United had a probability of 25.08%.
The most likely scoreline for a Northampton Town win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.91%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.39%) and 2-1 (9.08%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.48%), while for a Hartlepool United win it was 0-1 (8.58%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 9.4% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Northampton Town would win this match.
