Salford City and Grimsby Town will be looking to close out the year on a positive note when they go head to head in round 25 of League Two on Friday.
With just two points separating the two sides in the bottom end of the table, this weekend's game could prove pivotal in their quest for survival and we anticipate a thrilling contest at the Peninsula Stadium.
Match preview
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It was a forgettable Boxing Day for Salford City as they suffered a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Tranmere Rovers when the sides squared off at the Peninsula Stadium.
Tranmere had five different scorers as Harvey Saunders, Kieron Morris, Connor Jennings and Regan Hendry all found the target before Josh Hawkes put the icing on the cake with a 93rd-minute strike.
This was a ninth consecutive game without a win for Salford — three draws and six defeats — a run which saw them crash out of the FA Cup following their defeat against Peterborough United on November 14.
It was also the final nail in the coffin for Neil Wood, who was relieved of his role as head coach, barely six months on from guiding the Ammies to the League Two playoffs, where they were knocked out by local rivals Stockport County on penalties.
Salford have now lost 12 of their 23 League Two matches while picking up six wins and five draws to collect 23 points and sit 21st in the league table, level on points with Colchester United and just six points above the dotted line.
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Like the hosts, Grimsby Town were also denied Boxing Day delight as they suffered a 2-0 defeat against Mansfield Town when the sides met at the One Call Stadium.
After going two goals up in the first half courtesy of strikes from Davis Keillor-Dunn and George Maris, Mansfield held their own in the second half to see out all three points and move within five points of league leaders Stockport County.
Prior to that, Grimsby saw their run of six consecutive league games without defeat come to an end on December 23, when they were beaten 2-1 by Harrogate Town at Blundell Park courtesy of goals from Mathew Foulds and Abraham Odoh.
With 24 points from 24 matches, David Artell's men are currently 19th in the League Two standings, level on points with 20th-placed Doncaster Rovers who have one game in hand.
Grimsby's underwhelming first half of the season has been in no small part owing to their struggles on their travels, where they are the only side yet to taste victory in the league this season, losing six and picking up six draws in their 12 matches.
While the Mariners will be looking to return to winning ways and generate some momentum heading into the new year, they have failed to win their last three visits to the Peninsula Stadium, losing once and claiming two draws since September 2019.
Team News
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Following Woods' departure, assistant coach Simon Wiles will be in the Grimsby hot seat this weekend and the 38-year-old will look to begin his stint on a positive note.
Wiles will be unable to name Conor McAleny, who is suspended after picking up a red card against Tranmere, while the midfield duo of Ossama Ashley and 27-year-old Stevie Mallan have been ruled out through injuries.
Welsh defender Liam Shephard has missed the last seven matches through an injury and is also out of contention for the hosts, while Callum Hendry has been sidelined since September.
Grimsby remain without English forward Charles Vernam, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after picking up a severe injury back in August.
Rekeil Pyke was forced off injured shortly before the half-hour mark against Mansfield last time out and the English forward is a major doubt for Friday's game.
In his absence, 27-year-old Abo Eisa will push for his 18th start of the season, teaming up with Danny Rose in the front two, while Anthony Driscoll-Glennon, Niall Maher, Harvey Rodgers, Michee Efete should form the back four once again.
Salford City possible starting lineup:
Cairns; Ingram, Tilt, Garbutt, John; Lund, Watt, Humbles; Smith, N'Mai, Luamba
Grimsby Town possible starting lineup:
Cartwright; Driscoll-Glennon, Maher, Rodgers, Efete; Clifton, Conteh, Green, Gnahoua; Rose, Eisa
We say: Salford City 1-0 Grimsby Town
After a rough run of results, Salford and Grimsby will head into Friday's game looking to pick up a morale-boosting result ahead of the new year. While both sides are evenly matched on paper, we predict that the Ammies will come away with all three points against a Grimsby side who are yet to taste victory away from home this season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
