Preview: Northampton Town vs. Stevenage - prediction, team news, lineups

Relegation-threatened Northampton Town are acceptable to big a resurgent Stevenage astatine Sixfields Stadium successful League One connected New Year's Day.

The Cobblers are hoping for a caller commencement successful 2025 nether caller brag Kevin Nolan, portion the Boro volition beryllium looking to marque it back-to-back wins aft their triumph implicit Bristol Rovers past clip out.

Match preview

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Nolan's Northampton are presently 19th successful League One aft picking up 22 points from their 23 matches truthful far.

Two points supra Crawley Town successful the relegation zone, the Cobblers person lone won 1 of their past 12 games successful each competitions, and person mislaid 4 of their past five.

Former brag Jon Brady resigned successful aboriginal December aft a 2-0 nonaccomplishment against Stevenage successful the reverse of Wednesday's fixture near the nine 21st successful the table.

Since Nolan's assignment conscionable earlier Christmas, Northampton person played 2 matches connected the road, losing 4-1 against promotion-chasing Reading connected Boxing Day and drafting 1-1 past clip retired against 23rd-placed Shrewsbury Town.

The manager described the gully against the Shrews arsenic a 'fantastic point', and said that his broadside volition beryllium looking to physique connected their show arsenic the players proceed to accommodate to his demands and playstyle.

Notably, the Cobblers had failed to people successful the 3 games anterior to Nolan's accomplishment but person managed to find the backmost of the nett successful each of the matches during his abbreviated tenure.

However, it remains to beryllium seen whether Northampton are susceptible of producing against 1 of the division's champion antiaircraft sides, and their violative capableness volition surely beryllium tested connected Wednesday.

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Meanwhile, Alex Revell's Stevenage are 14th successful League One, having earned 29 points from their 21 games to date.

Since their 1-1 gully with Reading connected November 9, the Boro person mislaid conscionable 1 of their 7 matches, registering 3 wins and 3 draws successful that period.

That grounds represents a large betterment implicit the signifier that saw Revell's broadside suffer 4 games from 5 successful October, and has helped them to enactment 9 points distant from the relegation zone.

Last clip out, Stevenage won 3-0 astatine location against the Gas acknowledgment to goals from Elliot List and Jordan Roberts, arsenic good arsenic a precocious onslaught from Jamie Reid, though they did payment hugely from a reddish paper for Rovers' Jamie Lindsay erstwhile the scoreline was astatine 1-0.

Regardless of the circumstances, Revell volition beryllium peculiarly pleased that his broadside kept their 4th cleanable expanse successful their past six league games, a stat that is testament to the consistently beardown antiaircraft performances that person fixed Stevenage the champion antiaircraft grounds extracurricular of the apical 4 this season.

Northampton Town League One form:

Northampton Town signifier (all competitions):

Stevenage League One form:

Stevenage signifier (all competitions):

Team News

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As caller brag Nolan moulds Northampton to his liking, helium has lone made 1 alteration betwixt his 2 lineups truthful far, starting Liam McCarron successful his archetypal crippled earlier deciding connected Akinwale Odimayo successful the second.

However, McCarron picked up an wounded aft helium was substituted connected for Odimayo against Shrewsbury, and this means that the second is apt to diagnostic connected the left-hand broadside of the defence connected Wednesday adjacent to Jon Guthrie, Timothy Eyoma and Aaron McGowan, with Nesta Guiness-Walker operating successful a much precocious position.

In a bid of unfortunate events, Jack Baldwin, who was substituted connected for the injured McCarron, was aboriginal taken disconnected himself aft a stroke to the look and is present a uncertainty for the clash with Stevenage.

Elsewhere, the Cobblers are inactive without defenders Patrick Bough and Ali Koiki, Manchester City loanee Luke Mbete, midfielder Jack Sowerby and striker Callum Morton.

As for Stevenage, left-back Dan Butler was taken disconnected with an wounded aboriginal connected against the Gas, and is apt to beryllium replaced successful the XI by Lewis Freestone.

In the guardant line, Jordan Roberts, Jamie Reid and Elliott List volition beryllium hoping to proceed their signifier aft each providing extremity contributions past clip out, and volition beryllium supported from midfield by Daniel Kemp.

Northampton Town imaginable starting lineup:
Tzanev; McGowan, Eyoma, Guthrie, Odimayo; Hondermarck, Chouchane; Pinnock, McGeehan, Guiness-Walker; Eaves

We say: Northampton Town 0-2 Stevenage

Northampton whitethorn beryllium hoping for a caller commencement to the caller twelvemonth nether caller brag Nolan, but it is hard to spot them scoring fixed Stevenage's antiaircraft solidity.

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