Preview: Notts County vs. Walsall - prediction, team news, lineups

The apical 2 teams successful League Two volition look disconnected connected New Year's Day erstwhile Notts County invited Walsall to Meadow Lane connected Wednesday evening.

The visitors, who are apical of the summit, are 12 points up of the hosts, who presently beryllium successful 2nd spot with 37 points acknowledgment to a superior extremity quality implicit Doncaster Rovers, Port Vale and Grimsby Town who inhabit the adjacent 3 spots.

Match preview

© Imago

Notts County find themselves embroiled successful a choky contention for the automatic promotion spots successful League Two, bolstered by a three-match winning streak that followed a frustrating five-match winless run.

From aboriginal November to mid-December, Stuart Maynard's broadside endured a hard period, managing conscionable 1 triumph successful 7 matches crossed each competitions, a spell that saw them grounds 2 draws and endure 3 league defeats, raising concerns astir their promotion ambitions.

It seemed the Magpies' play was astatine hazard of derailing until a resounding 3-0 triumph implicit Bradford City connected December 21 halted their slump and sparked a singular turnaround – this triumph paved the mode for a 2-0 triumph implicit MK Dons and, astir recently, an exhilarating 5-3 triumph against Cheltenham Town connected Sunday.

The cardinal to Notts County's resurgence has been their reinvigorated attack, which has produced 10 goals successful their past 3 matches – a stark opposition to the specified 3 goals scored successful the preceding five.

However, the Magpies person shown greater attacking ratio distant from home, averaging 1.69 goals per crippled compared to 1.44 astatine Meadow Lane, and this comparative deficiency of cutting borderline astatine location could beryllium costly against league leaders Walsall, who person triumphed successful 2 of the past 3 meetings betwixt the sides, including their astir caller sojourn to Meadow Lane.

Despite this, Notts County tin instrumentality solace successful their robust location defence – they person conceded lone 5 goals successful 13 location matches this play and person kept cleanable sheets successful their past 4 games astatine Meadow Lane, earning 3 wins and a gully successful the process.

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Yet, if immoderate squad is susceptible of breaching the Magpies' awesome location defence, it is league leaders Walsall, who boast the division's astir potent attack, having scored 41 goals successful 22 matches.

The Saddlers are enjoying a singular campaign, a stark opposition to their 11th-place decorativeness past season, with Mat Sadler's men connected way to securing the league title, acknowledgment to a stunning 13-match unbeaten streak successful the league, including six consecutive victories, and adjacent much impressively, they person kept cleanable sheets successful their past 5 games.

Walsall volition look to transportation their red-hot signifier into the caller twelvemonth and volition purpose to widen their seven-match unbeaten tally connected the roadworthy – their distant signifier has been exceptional, with 20 points from 10 games – averaging from points connected absorption crushed than immoderate different squad successful the league.

Even much singular is that the visitors person not conceded a extremity successful their past 4 distant matches, portion they are unbeaten successful the past seven, with 5 wins and 2 draws.

Notts County League Two form:

Notts County signifier (all competitions):

Walsall League Two form:

Walsall signifier (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

Jodi Jones returned to the Notts County squad during the triumph implicit Cheltenham aft recovering from wounded and volition beryllium anxious to get much minutes successful this match, having lone featured arsenic a substitute past clip out.

Alassana Jatta, who netted doubly successful the erstwhile game, took his league tally to 11 goals successful 17 appearances – the highest successful the team, and helium volition look to adhd to his awesome full arsenic helium leads the enactment erstwhile again.

Walsall volition stay without Priestley Farquharson, who suffered a setback successful his betterment from the wounded sustained against Tranmere Rovers successful August, portion 18-year-old midfielder Dylan Thomas is besides sidelined owed to injury.

Brandon Comley is acceptable to miss his eighth consecutive crippled arsenic helium continues his betterment from a fractured cheekbone, portion experienced guardant Joshua Gordon remains retired with a semipermanent hamstring injury.

Nathan Lowe, who scored doubly successful the triumph implicit Newport, present leads the League Two scoring charts with 13 goals, and the Saddlers' striker, who has recovered the nett successful 3 consecutive matches, volition purpose to widen his streak to 4 games.

Notts County imaginable starting lineup:
Bass; Ness, Platt, Bedeau; Austin, Abbott, Hinchy, Martin; Crowley, Palmer, Jatta

We say: Notts County 1-2 Walsall

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