Leyton Orient will be hoping to place pressure on the teams in the playoffs this weekend when they host 17th-placed Bristol Rovers.
The visitors have not played since December 11 due to COVID-19 postponements, while the hosts have lost both of their most recent outings.
Match preview
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Kenny Jackett will want to see an improved performance from his team to kickstart 2022 after they suffered losses in their two most recent outings.
Crawley Town picked up a 2-1 victory, while that was then followed by a 1-0 defeat against Tranmere Rovers, with Jay Spearing scoring the only goal of the match.
However, they will take confidence from the previous meeting between the two teams this season, when Leyton Orient earned three points with a 3-1 win.
Goals from Harry Smith, Theo Archibald, and Aaron Drinan proved to be enough on the day, with a 92nd-minute finish from Brett Pitman being nothing more than a consolation for Bristol Rovers.
With the O's just three points outside of the playoffs, there is plenty to play for here, and Jackett will be hopeful that his team can climb the table to start the new year.
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While the Gas have put a solid distance between themselves and the relegation zone, they will be looking to start climbing the table in the new year.
Sitting in 17th place is something that Joey Barton shall push to improve, and their most recent match showcased the qualities that his team do have.
They defeated Rochdale 4-2, although they did initially let their two-goal lead slip, forcing them to kick on as they scored twice in the final 10 minutes of the match to earn all three points.
However, that was their first victory in the league since November, which is form that they desperately need to improve upon if they want to climb into the top half of the table.
But after a break due to matches being called off, Barton's men should be fresh, and the time off could be exactly what they need at this point.
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Team News
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The O's were without Tom James and Archibald during their recent 1-0 defeat, but both men should be an option for Jackett after the break due to COVID-19 postponements.
Darren Pratley will still be unavailable though as his suspension continues after being sent off at the end of their match with Crawley Town.
Bristol Rovers have had to deal with a long-term injury problem with Mark Hughes due to his Achilles issue which has led to him only featuring six times this season.
Luca Hoole and Trevor Clarke were both brought into the starting lineup by Barton when Bristol last played, and considering the victory his team secured, there is a good chance they will retain their places.
Leyton Orient possible starting lineup:
Vigouroux; Mitchell, Thompson, Ogie; Archibald, Clay, James, Young, Kemp; Smith, Drinan
Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup:
Belshaw; Hoole, Taylor, Anderton; Anderson, Coutts, Whelan, Clarke, Evans; Collins, Nicholson
We say: Leyton Orient 2-0 Bristol Rovers
Leyton Orient might have gone a couple of games without a victory heading into this one, but they certainly have the stronger squad and plenty of quality.
There should be enough within their team to earn three points here and get their promotion bid back on track against a team struggling in the bottom half of the table.
Top tip
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 Leyton Orient win with a probability of 42.14%. A win for Bristol Rovers had a probability of 31.1% and a draw had a probability of 26.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Leyton Orient win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.19%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.69%) and 2-0 (7.65%). The likeliest Bristol Rovers win was 0-1 (9.29%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.7%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 5.3% likelihood.
