Oldham Athletic will aim to enhance their chances of National League survival when they welcome Dagenham & Redbridge to Boundary Park on Tuesday night.
Sitting two points outside playoff places, the Daggers find themselves 11 points clear of Oldham, with David Unsworth's side perched just above the drop zone on goal difference.
Match preview
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Oldham suffered a 1-0 defeat to Halifax Town on Saturday, with Emmanuel Dieseruvwe scoring against his former club midway through the second half, shortly after Mike Fondop was sent off.
Following a run of six losses in eight National League outings between October and December, the Latics went unbeaten in the league throughout January, picking up two wins and two draws to ease relegation fears.
However, after suffering their 13th defeat of the National League campaign, Oldham remain in real danger of suffering their third relegation in six seasons, having fallen from League Two last year.
Unsworth's men have managed to win just seven of their 27 league games this term, while only four teams have scored fewer goals, so they will need to turn things around quickly in order to avoid another relegation dogfight.
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When Dagenham & Redbridge suffered a solitary defeat in 11 matches across October and November – picking up six wins and four draws along the way – they looked destined to cement a spot in the top seven.
However, Daryl McMahon's side have struggled for consistency since then, registering four wins, one draw and six losses in their previous 11 encounters across all competitions.
It is also worth noting that Dagenham & Redbridge have lost three of their past four games in all competitions without scoring a goal, and they head into Tuesday's clash on the back of successive league defeats to Yeovil Town and Wealdstone.
That said, the Daggers can take confidence from the fact that they have won six of their last 11 matches on their travels, keeping a clean sheet in each of their previous five away victories.
Team News
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Oldham will be without the suspended Mike Fondop on Tuesday after the striker was shown a straight red card last time out, meaning Timmy Abraham is likely to partner Joseph Nuttall in attack.
Chris Porter and Harrison McGahey look set to miss the remainder of the season due to injury, although Will Sutton could make the upcoming squad after returning to full training.
Dagenham & Redbridge have reported no fresh injury problems ahead of Tuesday's clash, but McMahon may be tempted to shuffle his pack due to his team's lack of attacking threat in recent matches.
Following the January departure of top scorer Josh Walker, Junior Morias and Paul McCallum are expected head up the forward line, while Angelo Balanta could feature after coming off the bench at the weekend.
Oldham Athletic possible starting lineup:
Norman; Clarke, Hogan, Yarney, Sheron; Kitching, Shelton, Chapman, Tollitt; Abraham, Nuttall
Dagenham & Redbridge possible starting lineup:
Justham; Ling, Longe-King, Onariase, Johnson; Weston, Rance, Robinson, Sagaf; McCallum, Morias
We say: Oldham Athletic 1-0 Dagenham & Redbridge
Although Oldham find themselves just outside the relegation zone, they will be confident of claiming all three points on home soil, having won two of their last four National League games.
Given that Dagenham & Redbridge have only taken four points from their previous five league outings, the visitors look set to suffer a third successive defeat on Tuesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
