Facing off in one of a trio of third-tier matches this weekend, relegation-threatened Carlisle United will welcome playoff-chasing Stevenage to Brunton Park on Saturday afternoon in League One.
The Cumbrians are heading towards an immediate return to League Two following a poor run of form, whilst the Boro are attempting to reach a new height of the Championship.
Match preview
Carlisle have now lost 12 of their last 13 League One contests after falling to a narrow 1-0 defeat at The Croud Meadow versus Shrewsbury Town, although it was a game in which the visitors could have secured only their second result since the New Year's Day success over Port Vale.
The Cumbrians made it through 40 minutes unscathed in Shropshire before Daniel Udoh breached the net of United goalkeeper Harry Lewis, and despite the lion's share of possession in the second period, the relegation-threatened visitors were unable to take any points back to Brunton Park.
Having collected a mere three points from their last 13 matches - and only six since the turn of the calendar year - Paul Simpson are unsurprisingly rooted to the very bottom of the League One standings, currently 16 points behind 20th-placed Cambridge United, meaning that United's survival chances are looking slim.
The club has improved significantly off the pitch this season with new American ownership who have broad ambitions for the Cumbrians, but a record of five wins from 38 third-tier matches is simply not enough to avoid an immediate return to League Two for the 2024-25 term.
Fourteen of Carlisle's 23 League One points have arrived at Brunton Park this season, although that total represents the lowest of any side in the division on their respective home patches.
Following back-to-back wins at the end of February, Stevenage have now endured a four-game winless run during March which has seriously derailed their ambitions of making it into the top seven of League One by the end of the campaign, to the audible frustration of their loyal supporters.
The most disappointing result of the March quartet arguably arrived last weekend at the Lamex Stadium to Leyton Orient, who escaped back to the capital with all three points courtesy of a 16th-minute strike from Max Sanders, netting his maiden goal of the third-tier campaign.
With Oxford United and Lincoln City both recording successes on the weekend, Stevenage are currently occupying in eighth position in the League One standings, two points behind Des Buckingham's U's in sixth and a sizeable 17 points behind an in-form Derby County in second.
The Boro have collected just one point from their three most-recent visits to Brunton Park dating back to April 2022 when the sides clashed in League Two, but Steve Evans's men managed a point against the Cumbrians earlier in the campaign as Jamie Reid bagged a brace in a 2-2 draw at the Lamex.
Team News
Despite losing enough match on the weekend at Shrewsbury, Carlisle are expected to name the same back three of Benjamin Barclay, Sam Lavelle and Jon Mellish.
The Cumbrians are without the services of midfielder Josh Vela, who is set to miss the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign after sustaining a knee injury.
In the midst of a worrying run of form, Stevenage will have to battle on without 17-goal striker Reid, who has been selected to represent Northern Ireland during the March internationals.
The absence of the 29-year-old means that Vadaine Oliver will require a new partner at the focal point of the attack, with Elliott List a prime candidate for that position.
Carlisle United possible starting lineup:
Lewis; Barclay, Lavelle, Mellish; Ellis, McGeouch, Neal, Armer, Butterworth; Armstrong, Diamond
Stevenage possible starting lineup:
MacGillivray; Wildin, Sweeney, Vancooten, Butler; Freeman, Forster-Caskey, B Thompson, Roberts; Oliver, List
We say: Carlisle United 1-1 Stevenage
Set to be supported by a bumper crowd at Brunton Park, Carlisle will be desperate to return to winning ways on Saturday afternoon against Stevenage.
The Boro are without their leading marksman on Saturday, and we reckon that their dreams of reaching the playoffs will take another blow in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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