Last-placed Carlisle United are set to host high-flying Crewe Alexandra at Brunton Park in League Two on Saturday.
Carlisle are bottom of the table with 13 points from 17 matches, while Crewe are third with 29 points from 16 games, and are in the hunt for promotion this season.
Match preview
Mike Williamson's Carlisle are at serious risk of relegation in 2024-25, and have registered just one win from their last 10 League Two games.
Level on points with both Morecambe and Swindon Town, Williamson's side sit bottom of the pile thanks to having the worst goal difference in the division.
No team has conceded more goals than Carlisle this season, and only Tranmere Rovers have scored fewer than their tally of 14.
Williamson was appointed in September, and as he continues to implement his own style at the club, the Cumbrians will be hoping that their decision to part ways with former manager Paul Simpson bears fruit in the form of League Two survival.
Last time out, Carlisle United played out a goalless draw with fourth-placed Doncaster Rovers, and were unlucky to only leave with one point after they had what would have been a late winner ruled out for being offside.
Regardless, the game was closely fought, with both sides managing three shots on target apiece and Carlisle recording 49% possession, and their ability to be competitive with teams at the top end of the table will give Williamson's side confidence ahead of their clash with Crewe.
On the other hand, Lee Bell's Crewe Alexandra are unbeaten in their last eight league games, and have won three of their five most recent matches.
Sitting in third place, Crewe are five points behind league-leading local rivals Port Vale, and four points above Chesterfield, who are the first team outside of the promotion playoff spots.
Last time out, Bell's side drew 1-1 on the road to the league leaders, a match that was rescued for Crewe by a 92nd-minute equaliser from Jack Lankester.
Crewe dominated proceedings in the game, recording 65% possession and six shots on target compared to their hosts' singular effort on goal, but conceded early and only managed to find a goal late on against a resilient Port Vale that played with 10 men from the 49th minute.
This weekend, Crewe will face a Carlisle side that have struggled in front of goal, and considering Bell's team boast the joint-best defensive record in League Two, they may frustrate their opponents.
Team News
In Carlisle's game against Doncaster, wide player Tyler Burey picked up an injury and may be replaced in Saturday's lineup by winger Jordan Jones, who is ready to make a return to the team, though Harrison Biggins is not quite ready for action.
Likewise, left-sided wing-back Ben Williams was taken off with an injury, and boss Williamson may opt to play Harrison Neal in his place.
Crewe Alexandra fans can expect goalkeeper Filip Marschall to be protected by captain Mickey Demetriou alongside fellow centre-backs Zac Williams and James Connolly.
Up front, manager Bell will hope that Crewe's top scorer Shilow Tracey can take advantage of Carlisle's poor defensive form to add to his tally for the season.
Carlisle United possible starting lineup:
Breeze; Hayden, Lavelle, Melllish; Jones, Guy, Harper, Neal; Sadi, Harris, Adu-Adjei
Crewe Alexandra possible starting lineup:
Marschall; Williams, Demetriou, Connolly; Conway, Tabiner, Sanders, Holicek, Cooney; Tracey, Bogle
We say: Carlisle United 0-2 Crewe Alexandra
Carlisle may find their match with Crewe to be a frustrating affair due to their opponents' defensive strength, and this resilience may be too much for the bottom-placed side to overcome.
To add to this, Carlisle have been contrastingly poor defensively, and may struggle to keep Crewe at bay.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
body check tags ::
Previews by email
