Grimsby Town will welcome Wrexham to Blundell Park on Saturday for a game of major importance at both ends of the League Two table.
The hosts have built a six-point lead over the drop zone thanks to an upturn in form, while their visitors currently occupy the final automatic promotion spot but only lead fourth-placed MK Dons on goal difference.
Match preview
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Grimsby Town head into the weekend aiming to further improve their League Two survival hopes this season, having built a cushion over the relegation zone with an impressive run of form in recent weeks.
Consecutive home defeats to Stockport County and Doncaster Rovers in February, stretching a winless streak to six matches, left the Mariners in a concerning position on just 29 points from 31 outings, but they appear to have reversed their fortunes since, now in the midst of a six-game unbeaten run.
David Artell's side have conceded just three goals across those last six attempts, while adding 10 crucial points to their tally, firstly beating fellow strugglers Forest Green Rovers 1-0 between draws away at Morecambe, AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United.
On their return to Blundell Park, the Mariners met promotion-chasing Milton Keynes Dons and took all three points from an impressive 1-0 victory, as Justin Obikwu netted the only goal, before they most recently travelled to Gillingham on Saturday and extended their unbeaten streak with another creditable result, playing out a 1-1 draw having gone ahead early through Donovan Wilson.
While the work is far from done in their bid to avoid the drop to the National League, Grimsby Town have built up a six-point lead over 23rd-placed Forest Green Rovers with a game in hand and nine matches left to play, and they will bid to extend their fine run and move further clear of the bottom two with a third straight home win on Saturday.
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They face another tough test in a difficult schedule, though, as the visitors arrive aiming to solidify their position in the top three ahead of the run-in.
After climbing from the National League last season, Wrexham have enjoyed a strong campaign back in England's fourth tier, establishing themselves as frontrunners in the automatic promotion race having amassed 67 points from their 38 games thus far.
Phil Parkinson's side were able to build a slender lead over the chasing pack with their 18th and 19th league wins of the season at the start of March, thrashing Accrington Stanley 4-0 at the Racecourse Stadium and beating Morecambe 3-1 on their travels, but they have since failed to extend a winning run and pull clear in two further attempts.
Harrogate Town visited North Wales last Tuesday and forced a share of the spoils in a goalless draw, before the Red Dragons most recently hosted Tranmere Rovers at the weekend and came away empty-handed with Luke Norris's early goal condemning them to a 1-0 defeat.
With their lead over fourth-placed MK Dons now cut to just goal difference, having failed to win or score in back-to-back home games, Wrexham will now set out to return to winning ways at the weekend and avoid dropping out of the automatic promotion spots.
Team News
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David Artell only made two changes to his Grimsby Town team between their 1-0 win over MK Dons and the weekend's draw away at Gillingham, and we are again unlikely to see many alterations on Saturday given the impressive recent results.
With top scorer Danny Rose likely remaining out of action, Justin Obikwu and Donovan Wilson could again lead the line, having each found the net across the last two outings, while Abo Eisa and Arthur Gnahoua will also fight to return from the start in attacking roles with the former boasting nine goals so far this term.
Gavan Holohan should again take up an advanced role too, while Curtis Thompson will join mainstay Harry Clifton at the base of the midfield with Doug Tharme and Harvey Rodgers bound to continue their centre-back partnership.
Wrexham travel to Grimsby without key man James McClean, who will serve the second of a two-match suspension for accumulating 10 league yellow cards, while attacker Jack Marriott also missed their recent meeting with Tranmere Rovers.
Phil Parkinson still has options up front, though, with Steven Fletcher, Ollie Palmer and Sam Dalby competing to join danger man Paul Mullin, who has notched up 15 goals in 30 League Two appearances so far this term, taking his tally to 91 goals in 125 games across all competitions for the Red Dragons.
In McClean's absence, Luke Young should again join Andy Cannon and Elliot Lee in a midfield trio, while Max Cleworth, Will Boyle and Eoghan O'Connell will likely continue at the heart of the defence despite competition from Ben Tozer.
Grimsby Town possible starting lineup:
Cartwright; Mullarkey, Rodgers, Tharme, Hume; Thompson, Clifton; Holohan, Eisa; Obikwu, Wilson
Wrexham possible starting lineup:
Okonkwo; Cleworth, Boyle, O'Connell; Barnett, Young, Cannon, Lee, Mendy; Fletcher, Mullin
We say: Grimsby Town 1-1 Wrexham
Wrexham have certainly enjoyed the much stronger season of the two sides and boast more quality throughout their squad, but Grimsby come in with plenty of momentum and are growing in confidence under Artell while their visitors may be faltering slightly, and we can envisage the points being shared at Blundell Park as a result.
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Sam Varley
