Stockport County have the opportunity to win the National League and secure promotion to League Two with a draw or victory on Sunday when they welcome Halifax Town to Edgeley Park.
The visitors will be looking to take as much momentum into the playoffs as possible, and the Yorkshire-based club could move up into third place with a win, guaranteeing them a spot in the semi-final stage.
Match preview
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Stockport County could be an official League Two team by the end of this weekend, with as little as a draw being enough to secure them as champions on Sunday.
Wrexham are breathing down their necks, and a defeat against Halifax could lead to things being determined by goal difference if the Dragons were to win their own game.
After being beaten by their title rivals last weekend, Dave Conlon's team managed to get their season back on track in midweek when they faced Torquay United.
The Hatters picked up a 1-0 win to climb back into the top spot thanks to a Paddy Madden goal, and the pressure is now on to repeat that.
Stockport's form has been mixed as the season has drawn to a close, winning only half of their previous six matches, but this one will act almost as a cup final due to what is on the line.
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The visitors will be looking to spoil the party on Sunday though, and Halifax head into the game on the back of a three-match unbeaten run in the league.
Pete Wild's men could end up finishing third-placed in the league with a victory this weekend if Solihull Moors were to slip up on the final day, which would immediately put them into the playoff semi-final match.
That advantage is something that Halifax will be seeking, but they will need to get back to winning ways in order to secure that possibility.
The Shaymen were held to a frustrating draw against Aldershot Town last weekend, as they conceded in the 86th minute, despite taking the lead through Martin Woods.
Halifax will also take confidence from the fact they defeated Stockport 3-0 when they met earlier in the season with goals from Matty Warburton, Thomas Bradbury and Billy Waters.
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Team News
Zaine Francis-Angol got the opportunity to make his debut for Stockport in their most recent match, and he could find himself back in the starting lineup this weekend.
Madden is set to be at the heart of things again for the Hatters after scoring the winner against Torquay, and the league leaders could opt for an unchanged team this weekend.
Waters is sure to be the focal point of the Shaymen's attacks as the leading scorer for the visitors this season, but they will continue to be without Tom Bradbury.
Halifax could be boosted by the return of their club captain though, as Wild has confirmed that Niall Maher has been back training this week.
Jack Senior missed the recent draw with Aldershot, but he has also been out running, putting him into contention, while there are question marks over Kieran Green who had to be replaced last weekend due to a knee injury.
Stockport County possible starting lineup:
Hinchcliffe; Keane, Palmer, Francis-Angol; Newby, Croasdale, Cannon, Hippolyte; Collar, Sarcevic; Madden
Halifax Town possible starting lineup:
Johnson; Woods, Swaby-Neavin, Warren, Debrah; Spence, Slew, Bird; Gilmour, Warburton, Waters
We say: Stockport County 2-1 Halifax Town
There is a lot on the line in this particular match on Sunday, and Halifax Town will be sure to make it a cagey affair throughout the 90 minutes.
It will not be a simple outing for Stockport County, but with the chance to win the league, and guarantee promotion, they should just get over the line.
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 Stockport County win with a probability of 69.71%. A draw had a probability of 18.7% and a win for Halifax Town had a probability of 11.58%.
The most likely scoreline for a Stockport County win was 2-0 with a probability of 12.91%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (12.08%) and 2-1 (9.5%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.89%), while for a Halifax Town win it was 0-1 (4.16%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 12.9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 2-0 win for Stockport County in this match and our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted the win for Stockport County.
