League One leaders Rotherham United will continue their pursuit of an immediate return to the Championship when they welcome Lincoln City to the New York Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Just the one point separates Rotherham to second-placed Sunderland as the title race begins to hot up in League One.
Match preview
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Defeat to Accrington Stanley on Boxing Day came as a surprise to many, with the club's record unbeaten streak also falling victim to the loss.
The Millers had enjoyed 21 matches across all competitions without a defeat, last losing prior to Sunday all the way back in August.
Denting Rotherham's title hopes ever so slightly, the South Yorkshire club still remain as favourites to go up automatically, not least given their previous experience of getting the job done in this division before.
Promoted from League One twice in the past four seasons, Paul Warne will be hoping his side show the grit and determination from past campaigns to get them over the line once more.
A victory over Lincoln will ensure the Millers start 2022 as league leaders, but Rotherham have struggled in recent years against the Imps.
Playing out a 1-1 draw when the two met earlier this season, the hosts have only managed one victory over Lincoln in their previous four encounters.
However, given the visitors' current league form, it is unlikely that Michael Appleton's men will be able to spring a surprise on Wednesday evening.
Eight games across all competitions without a win has left last season's play-off runners up scratching around at the bottom of the table, with relegation a distinct possibility.
Three points against the league leaders would go some way to alleviating their current troubles, but Lincoln look set to begin the new year staring down the barrel of relegation.
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Team News
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Unlike many other sides in the division, Rotherham currently boast a clean bill of health and will likely call upon Freddie Ladapo to lead the line.
Creativity just behind will come in the shape of Ben Wiles, whilst a back three of Michael Ihiekwe, Richard Wood and Wes Harding will look to protect goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.
For the visitors, a slight injury crisis within their camp meant they could only field five substitutes for the Boxing Day defeat to MK Dons, yet Lincoln were able to welcome back Anthony Scully from injury.
While returns look imminent, the Rotherham fixture is likely to come too soon for Adam Jackson, Joe Walsh, Liam Bridcutt and Tom Hopper, who all miss out through injury.
Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Harding, Wood, Ihiekwe; Barlaser, Ogbene, Ferguson, Wilnes, Rathbone; Smith, Ladapo
Lincoln City possible starting lineup:
Griffiths; Eyoma, Poole, Montsma, Bramall; Bishop, Bridcutt, McGrandles; Adelakun, Maguire, Fiorini
We say: Rotherham United 2-0 Lincoln City
Defeats have been a rarity for Rotherham this season, meaning the Boxing Day loss would have no doubt hurt the Millers dressing room.
Expect them to bounce back, and strongly, against a struggling Lincoln outfit.
Top tip
Amos Murphy
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 Rotherham United win with a probability of 57.21%. A draw had a probability of 23.3% and a win for Lincoln City had a probability of 19.49%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rotherham United win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.99%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.58%) and 2-1 (9.78%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.08%), while for a Lincoln City win it was 0-1 (6.28%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.8% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Rotherham United would win this match.
