Preview: Exeter City vs. Crawley Town - prediction, team news, lineups

Exeter City play big to Crawley Town connected Sunday looking to grounds their 3rd successive triumph successful League One.

At a clip erstwhile the location broadside beryllium successful 12th presumption successful the table, Crawley stay successful the relegation portion courtesy of 3 defeats successful a row.

Match preview

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Having lone won 3 successive games successful this part connected 1 juncture since April, Exeter cannot beryllium described arsenic a squad that are regarded arsenic genuine playoff contenders.

Nevertheless, back-to-back victories implicit Burton Albion and Bristol Rovers person catapulted Gary Caldwell's broadside into 12th presumption and conscionable six points adrift of 5th position.

With immoderate of the teams straight supra them facing each different connected Sunday, determination is an accidental for Exeter to interruption into the apical 10 up of the New Year's Day fixture astatine second-placed Wycombe Wanderers.

Caldwell tin lone anticipation that the caller occurrence has led to his Exeter broadside forgetting astir their dismal tally beforehand wherever conscionable 2 points had been accumulated from six outings.

Exeter person won 5 of their 11 fixtures astatine St James Park successful the league this season, albeit lone erstwhile successful the past 5 outings.

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As for Crawley, Rob Elliot would person hoped that helium had instigated a turnaround connected the backmost of his accomplishment from Gateshead successful October.

Instead, 3 consecutive defeats person kept the nine successful the relegation zone, conceding 8 goals successful the process to Peterborough United, Birmingham City and Leyton Orient.

Succumbing truthful tamely to the second of those opponents volition interest Elliot astatine a clip erstwhile the teams beneath them proceed to borderline person to passing them.

Crawley marque the travel to the South-West having scored conscionable 8 times successful their 11 distant league fixtures during 2024-25, 5 of those goals being netted successful the astir caller 3 games.

Exeter City League One form:

Exeter City signifier (all competitions):

Crawley Town League One form:

Crawley Town signifier (all competitions):

Team News

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Despite scoring arsenic a substitute against Bristol Rovers, 17-year-old Jake Richards whitethorn person to stay diligent for different League One start.

Kamari Doyle could beryllium introduced for Demetri Mitchell successful the last third, portion Jack Fitzwater volition apt clasp his spot successful the backmost 3 having proven his fittingness implicit caller matches.

Elliot volition inevitably marque alterations to his Crawley broadside with Panutche Camara and Junior Quitirna some successful enactment for recalls.

Who other features whitethorn beryllium babelike connected if Elliot moves distant from going with a 3-5-1-1 formation, portion it remains to beryllium seen whether Ronan Darcy features successful the squad amid speculation regarding a imaginable January transportation elsewhere.

Exeter City imaginable starting lineup:
Whitworth, McMillan, Fitzwater, Francis; Watts, Woods, McDonald, Niskanen; Alli, Doyle; Magennis

We say: Exeter City 2-1 Crawley Town

Crawley person shown successful patches that they are susceptible of troubling a definite magnitude of teams successful this division. However, with Exeter showing immoderate of their champion signifier of the season, we expect the location broadside to travel done with a hard-fought victory.

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