Ipswich Town and Lincoln City will do battle at Portman Road on Tuesday as both sides look to build on victories picked up at the weekend.
The hosts extended their impressive run of form with a victory to strengthen their bid for a top-six spot in the League One table, while their visitors ended a four-game winless run with a defeat of Sheffield Wednesday.
Match preview
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After an underwhelming start to the season, Ipswich Town now find themselves in a push for a playoff place under the management of Kieran McKenna.
Having won eight and lost just two of the 13 League One games since his appointment, the Tractor Boys now sit just five points outside of the playoff places, after seemingly being out of the race at the halfway stage of the campaign.
They come into Tuesday's game in a seven-match unbeaten run in England's third tier, firstly bouncing back from a defeat to promotion-chasing rivals Sheffield Wednesday with 1-0 victories over Gillingham and Doncaster Rovers.
Following a win over Burton Albion and draws with MK Dons, Cheltenham Town and Morecambe, McKenna's side extended their run and made a return to winning ways at the weekend, defeating Fleetwood Town 2-0 away from home thanks to goals from Sam Morsy and Kayden Jackson.
Having risen back within five points of sixth spot, the Suffolk outfit will look to continue building momentum with another victory on Tuesday that could see them climb up to eighth in a congested top half.
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They welcome a Lincoln side who will arrive with renewed confidence after an eye-catching win last time out.
The Imps only narrowly missed out on promotion last season, but this campaign has not gone the same way as they have continuously battled in the bottom half of the division, recently dropping as low at 18th as a result of a four-match winless run.
Michael Appleton's side made an impressive return to winning ways last time out, though, as they handed an in-form Sheffield Wednesday side a 3-1 defeat on home turf, with John Marquis's opener cancelled out by Saido Berahino before he added a second after Brooke Norton-Cuffy's goal to secure all three points.
While that result did a major favour for Tuesday's hosts, the Imps will now look to dish out another defeat to a playoff-chasing side as they aim to climb back up to 16th spot in League One.
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Team News
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Kieran McKenna has a strong Ipswich squad at his disposal, and winger Kyle Edwards and midfielder Lee Evans are set to remain the only absentees due to injuries.
Competition is particularly rife in attack, with Kayden Jackson expected to keep his place up front after a goal last time out while the likes of Macauley Bonne, James Norwood, Conor Chaplin, Joe Pigott and Bersant Celina also vying for starting spots.
The back three of Janoi Donacien, George Edmundson and Luke Woolfenden is rarely altered, while Sam Morsy continues to play a key role as a midfield anchor.
Lincoln are unlikely to make too many changes after an impressive performance and victory at the weekend, with John Marquis again set to lead the line after a brace in that game.
He should be partnered by Tom Hopper, while Swansea City loanee Morgan Whittaker has been moved out to the left-hand side, giving more support to the front two.
Arsenal loanee Blake Norton-Cuffy earned major plaudits for his performance in the defeat of Sheffield Wednesday, and he will continue to play a key role at right wing-back.
Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Walton; Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson; Burns, Morsy, Bakinson, Thompson; Celina; Jackson, Bonne
Lincoln City possible starting lineup:
Griffiths; Eyoma, Poole, Walsh; Norton-Cuffey, Fiorini, Maguire, McGrandles, Whittaker; Marquis, Hopper
We say: Ipswich Town 1-0 Lincoln City
Lincoln pulled off an impressive result at the weekend and will be vying to do the same again, but we see the trip to Portman Road as a step too far.
McKenna has developed a dominant and effective Ipswich side, and they will be desperate to ensure they are not halted in their bid to reach the playoffs.
Top tip
Sam Varley
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 Ipswich Town win with a probability of 52.62%. A draw had a probability of 24.7% and a win for Lincoln City had a probability of 22.72%.
The most likely scoreline for a Ipswich Town win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.91%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.74%) and 2-1 (9.59%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.72%), while for a Lincoln City win it was 0-1 (7.17%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 9.7% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Ipswich Town would win this match.
