Southend United and Halifax Town do battle on Tuesday evening as they each look to boost their promotion bid from the National League.
Having had their games postponed at the weekend, the two clubs currently occupy sixth and 10th position in the standings.
Match preview
Southend put together a four-match winning streak, all with clean sheets, from the end of October to the start of November, seemingly putting the club in perfect position to make further headway on the teams above them.
However, while Kevin Maher's side remain in the playoff spots, just six points have been collected from their following five fixtures, including just one success.
A two-game losing run came to an end last time out as they posted a 2-2 draw with Altrincham, although Southend did lead on two occasions in that contest.
Maher would have preferred to get back to action on Saturday, only for their scheduled match at Boreham Wood to be postponed to a frozen pitch.
Instead, Southend were left with more time to focus on facing Halifax, who will move level on points with their hosts if they prevail at Roots Hall.
Halifax would have also hoped to boost their promotion bid on Saturday until their encounter with fifth-placed Barnet was also called off due to the weather.
On one hand, Chris Millington may have been grateful for the rest for his side, who played in midweek, but the Yorkshire outfit missed out on trying to build more momentum.
Victories over Chesterfield and Dorking Wanderers have moved the club into the top 10, with just five points separating them from the opponents that they were supposed to face at the weekend.
While the aim will be to record a third successive triumph, Halifax have prevailed in just two of their 11 away encounters in the fifth tier during 2022-23.
Team News
Given the extra rest period since the last outing, Maher may be more inclined to make minimal changes to his Southend XI.
Just one alteration was made versus Altrincham, a sign that Maher was happy with a settled team on that occasion, but Ollie Kensdale is in line for a possible recall in defence having sat out his first league game of the season.
Jack Senior and Luke Summerfield will both come back into contention for Halifax after missing the Dorking Wanderers win through illness.
However, Millington must decide whether he wants to make any alterations to a winning side, particularly given the manner of that success.
Senior is most likely to earn a recall to the backline after only failing to start two National League games all season.
Southend United possible starting lineup:
Noukeu; Ralph, Kensdale, Scott-Morriss, Hobson, Lopata, Bridge, Fonguck, Miley, Mooney, Wreh
Halifax Town possible starting lineup:
Johnson; Stott, Golden, Debrah, Arthur, Spence, Gilmour, Cooke, Dieseruvwe, Warburton, Cappello
We say: Southend United 1-1 Halifax Town
Despite the difference in league positions, it is Halifax who enter this contest in much better form. Nevertheless, Southend's home form is far superior in comparison to their away, leading us to predict a hard-fought share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
