Separated by two points in the bottom half of the League Two standings, Harrogate Town and Colchester United will clash in their gameweek 26 fixture at the Exercise Stadium on Tuesday.
The home side are 19th in the standings - eight points above the drop zone, thanks to consecutive wins in their last two league outings - while the 15th-placed visitors will be looking to make it two wins on the bounce.
Match preview
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Harrogate Town started 2025 in a disappointing manner, falling to a 2-0 defeat against Salford City in their first game of the year.
However, the Sulphurites soon bounced back with back-to-back wins over Barrow (2-0) and Cheltenham Town (2-0) to give their survival hopes a boost.
Before the consecutive wins, Simon Weaver's team had endured a seven-game winless streak which saw them slip down the League Two table to compound their woes.
Now back to winning ways, the home side are 19th in the standings with 28 points – four places above the relegation zone.
Heading into this encounter, Weaver's team will be looking to make it three wins on the bounce in the league for the first time in almost a year, and back-to-back home wins for the first time since September 28.
The home fans will be confident going into Tuesday's fixture referencing their three consecutive triumphs over the visitors – and they will back their team to claim all three points.
A victory will take the hosts to 14th in the standings, provided that results of the teams in and around them go their way.
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Elsewhere, Colchester defeated Bromley 1-0 in their last league outing to record their first win of 2025 at Hayes Lane on Saturday.
That victory ensured that the U's ended a three-game winless streak, climbing to 15th position in the standings, with 30 points from 25 matches in the current campaign.
Although the win at the weekend will have the visiting side buzzing, there is still a lot for Danny Cowley and his charges to worry about, given that they have only managed two wins away from their stomping ground all season – a record which is the third-worst in the league.
Another source of worry for the travelling side is their recent record against the hosts – with a record of three consecutive defeats against the Sulphurites, the visiting fans may be short on confidence ahead of the fixture.
Nevertheless, a victory at the Exercise Stadium will steer them further away from relegation trouble and a step closer to clinching one of the promotion playoff spots.
Team News
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Heading into this fixture, Simon Weaver has a full squad at his disposal, but he is expected to field an unchanged team for the visit of Colchester.
Despite firing blanks against Cheltenham, Jack Muldoon and Josh March, who has scored four goals so far, are expected to lead the line for the home side on Tuesday.
After their solid performance in their last outing, Jasper Moon and Anthony O'Connor should form a partnership in the heart of the defence.
Although Danny Cowley has an almost fully fit squad heading into this contest, the visitors will be without the duo of Rob Hunt and Samson Tovide who are both sidelined with injuries.
However, Cowley is likely to send out an unchanged starting XI for the visit to the Exercise Stadium.
Harrogate Town possible starting lineup:
Belshaw; Sims, O'Connor, Moon, Burrell; Cornelius, Sutton, Morris, Daly; Muldoon, March
Colchester United possible starting lineup:
Macey; Kelleher, Flanagan, Iandolo, Egbo; McDonnell, Bishop; Anderson, Payne, Edwards; Taylor
We say: Harrogate Town 1-0 Colchester United
Given their recent results, Harrogate will be full of confidence coming into this encounter, and considering that the visitors lost in their last three meetings against Harrogate, we are backing the home side to clinch a narrow 1-0 win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
