League One outfit Crawley Town will be bidding to avoid a surprise elimination in the first round of the FA Cup when they head to National League side Maidenhead United on Saturday afternoon.
Crawley are currently 22nd in the League One table, boasting only 10 points from their 13 league games this term, while Maidenhead sit 19th in the National League table, collecting 16 points from their first 16 matches of the campaign.
Match preview
Maidenhead overcame Taunton Town to book their spot in the first round of the FA Cup, and the Magpies will now be looking to claim a League One scalp in order to progress to the second round of the competition.
Alan Devonshire's side will enter the contest off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Yeovil Town in the National League, with the result leaving them in 19th spot in the table, boasting only 16 points from their 16 league games this term.
Maidenhead finished 14th in the National League last term, which proved to be their highest spot at that level since claiming 13th in 2020-21, but it could be a tough campaign for the club, who are only three points outside of the relegation zone.
The Berkshire outfit will know that they are up against it this weekend versus a side that play two leagues higher, but Crawley are also having a disappointing season, with the Red Devils struggling towards the bottom of League One.
Crawley were promoted from League Two last season via the playoffs, with the team now operating in the third tier of English football, but it has been a difficult opening few months to the campaign, with 10 points from 13 matches leaving them down in 22nd.
Rob Elliot's side have lost nine of their 13 league games this season, while they have also conceded 25 times, which is the joint-second worst defensive record in the division.
Crawley will enter this match off the back of a 3-0 defeat to Northampton Town in League One, but they did manage to record a 3-0 victory over Lincoln City in the league on October 22.
The Red Devils have been beaten in each of their last six matches on their travels, though, with their only away success of the season proving to be a 1-0 victory over Cambridge United on August 17.
Crawley have lost their last four games in the FA Cup, meanwhile, with their last victory in the competition a 3-0 success over Leeds United in January 2021.
Team News
Maidenhead centre-back Kevin Lokko is actually the team's joint-leading goalscorer this season with four, and the 28-year-old will be in the home side's XI for Saturday's FA Cup fixture.
Tristan Abrahams also has four goals this term, and he is expected to be back at centre-forward this weekend, having dropped down to the bench for the clash with Yeovil last time out.
Reece Smith is another player to have enjoyed a strong start to the season, scoring three goals and registering three assists in 16 appearances, and the 22-year-old will be in the XI against Crawley.
As for the visitors, there is expected to be a recall to the starting side for Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, with the 26-year-old scoring three times in 15 appearances this season, meaning that Ronan Darcy could drop to the bench.
Will Swan has two goals in 11 appearances and is also expected to be in the Crawley side on Saturday, while Charlie Barker will be a notable inclusion in the middle of the defence; Ade Adeyemo is also pushing to be included, having been an unused substitute against Northampton last time out.
Maidenhead United possible starting lineup:
Ross; Welch-Hayes, De Havilland, Lokko, Latty-Fairweather; Golding, Pettit, Ferguson; Barratt, Abrahams, Smith
Crawley Town possible starting lineup:
Wollacott; Forster, Barker, Williams, Mullaerkey, Flint; Anderson, Ibrahim, Adeyemo; Swan, Hepburn-Murphy
We say: Maidenhead United 1-2 Crawley Town
Maidenhead are certainly capable of making this an uncomfortable match for Crawley, and we are expecting it to be close in terms of the scoreline, but the away side's superior quality should allow them to secure a spot in the next round of the competition.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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