Preview: Bradford City vs. Port Vale - prediction, team news, lineups

Bradford City volition invited Port Vale to Northern Commercials Stadium connected Thursday, arsenic some teams purpose to dainty their fans to immoderate festive cheer successful a Boxing Day League Two encounter.

The Valiants, presently enduring a five-match winless tally successful the league, volition beryllium hoping that their caller dominance successful this fixture works successful their favour erstwhile the 2 sides measurement onto the pitch.

Match preview

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Bradford City began their sixth consecutive play successful League Two aft narrowly missing retired connected the playoffs by conscionable 1 constituent past term.

After 20 matches this campaign, the Bantams find themselves 3 points adrift of the last playoff spot, sitting 12th successful the array with 28 points to their name.

Graham Alexander, who celebrated his one-year day arsenic Bradford manager past month, volition anticipation his squad tin rapidly retrieve from their latest setback – a 3-0 decision to Notts County that ended their four-match unbeaten league run.

However, past suggests Thursday's clash could beryllium a challenging one, arsenic the hosts person failed to bushed Port Vale successful their past 5 encounters, suffering 3 defeats and 2 draws.

Adding to the challenge, the Bantams person a mediocre Boxing Day record, winning conscionable 1 of their past 7 league fixtures connected this festive date, and facing the league's best-performing distant broadside this play lone compounds the difficulty.

That said, Bradford tin gully spot from their awesome location form, with the Bantams having mislaid conscionable 1 of their 9 location league matches, winning 5 – including their astir caller outing astatine Northern Commercials Stadium, wherever they defeated Swindon.

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Meanwhile, Port Vale's propulsion for an contiguous instrumentality to League One has deed a stumbling artifact successful caller weeks, with the Valiants going 5 league games without a win.

This tally includes 4 draws and a azygous defeat, underscored by an alarming deficiency of goals – failing to people successful their past 3 league matches, a drought that includes a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Walsall, and goalless stalemates against Bromley and Carlisle.

Despite their caller struggles, Port Vale stay 2nd successful the array with 37 points from 21 matches – however, their grip connected an automatic promotion spot is nether threat, with Crewe Alexandra – the archetypal squad extracurricular the apical 3 – conscionable 2 points down and boasting a crippled successful hand.

Port Vale person been formidable connected the road, averaging much points distant from home, and person recorded doubly arsenic galore cleanable sheets connected the roadworthy than connected their crushed - each of which volition further boost their assurance erstwhile they sojourn a stadium wherever they won the past trip.

Bradford City League Two form:

Bradford City signifier (all competitions):

Port Vale League Two form:

Port Vale signifier (all competitions):

Team News

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Bradford City person conscionable 1 wounded interest heading into this clash, with right-back Callum Johnson inactive injured and expected to stay sidelined for immoderate time.

Andy Cook, who has carried Bradford's goalscoring load this season, netting 10 goals successful 19 League Two outings, volition pb the line, portion Bobby Pointon and Calum Kavanagh volition supply enactment for the talisman.

Port Vale, connected the different hand, person nary wounded oregon suspension concerns up of Thursday's affair, leaving manager Darren Moore with an accidental to tinker his team.

The 50-year-old manager has rotated his attackers successful caller games, sharing the relation betwixt Jayden Stockley, Ethan Chislett and Ronan Curtis, but helium is apt to instrumentality with either oregon some of the archetypal two, giving that they are joint-top for league goals scored successful the team, having netted 4 each.

Bradford City imaginable starting lineup:
Walker; Huntington, Shepherd, Baldwin; Benn, Evans, Smallwood, Richards;Kavanagh, Pointon; Cook

We say: Bradford City 1-1 Port Vale

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