In an action-packed Boxing Day in League One, Exeter City will be looking to bounce back to winning ways when they face off against Wycombe Wanderers at St James Park.
The hosts will head into this encounter with 19 points after 21 matches and currently in 20th place in the league standings, while the visitors are 17th with 24 points over the same period.
Match preview
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After making a very promising start to the season, Exeter City have been steadily slipping down the ranks week-on-week and are now firmly in the relegation scrap, just one point above Reading, who are the first side below the dotted line.
The Grecians had taken 13 points from their first six matches this term, but things have changed significantly since then, as they come into this match having failed to win any of their last 13 league games in a row.
The most recent match ended in a 2-0 loss to Cambridge United over the weekend, and was also the eighth match in their last 10 that Exeter failed to find the net while they have only notched up two goals over that period and 13 in total this term.
An under-pressure Gary Caldwell will now need to rally his troops in an attempt to snap up a six-game winless run at home, or they could find themselves slipping into the drop zone heading into the New Year.
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Meanwhile, Wycombe Wanderers have also experienced a major drop-off this season following a very good campaign where they finished in the top half of the table in 2022-23.
After claiming a hard-fought point against Derby County the previous week, the Chairboys headed into last weekend's encounter against Port Vale in high spirits but came away with another 1-1 draw.
A goal by Kieran Sadlier shortly after the halftime break, marking his first league goal for the team, looked like it was going to secure the Chairboys a much-needed victory, but James Wilson's late finish in the final moments prolonged their wait for three crucial points.
That result saw Matt Bloomfield's side's winless league run extended to 10 matches, including five draws and five losses, while they last tasted victory back at the start of October when they beat Fleetwood Town 4-1 on the road.
Wycombe will now set their sights on Exeter, and while their opponents have not been anywhere near their best lately, they do have the advantage in the head-to-head standings, undefeated in their last six meetings dating back to October 2016.
Team News
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Demetri Mitchell has been missing for Exeter since their 3-2 loss to Middlesbrough in the League Cup back in October and could miss the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament injury.
Jack Aitchison will be eligible to return to the starting lineup for this match after being forced to sit out the weekend trip to Cambridge United for the red card he was shown a week earlier against Stevenage.
In the opposite dugout, Bloomfield's side are set to be without the services of Brandon Hanlan, who also picked up a cruciate ligament injury that will likely see him miss the majority of the season.
Aside from Hanlan, Jason McCarthy and Freddie Potts are also on the treatment table, while Sam Vokes has been flagged as a doubt but could still make the starting 11 if he is cleared by the medical staff ahead of the match.
Exeter City possible starting lineup:
Sinisalo; Sweeney, Diabate, Hartridge, Jules; Niskanen, Rankine, Trevitt, Taylor; Cole, Aitchison
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Stryjek; Grimmer, Forino-Joseph, Low, Boyes; Scowen, Leahy; McCleary, Phillips, Sadlier; Vokes
We say: Exeter City 1-1 Wycombe Wanderers
Both these sides come into this match having failed to win a single league game in over two months. This is a very even contest on paper, and while both teams are likely to go all out for the win, we feel they will end up sharing the spoils at the final whistle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
