In a match that could impact the race for promotion and the relegation battle in League One, strugglers Crawley Town are set to host high-flying Wrexham at Broadfield Stadium on Saturday.
In contrast to their league positions, the Red Devils come into this weekend's clash on the back of a win last time out, while the Red Dragons have struggled so far in 2025.
Match preview
Earlier this week, Rob Elliot's Crawley earned their first victory since December 3 when they beat Mansfield Town 1-0 on the road thanks to a late strike from Ade Adeyemo.
That win gave the relegation candidates some hope of survival by taking them to within three points of 20th-placed Northampton Town having played two games fewer.
However, the Red Devils will be up against a significantly more potent challenge on Saturday, and given they have won just three home games this campaign, it will take a particularly strong performance for the hosts to avoid defeat.
To make matters worse, Elliot's side lost the reverse fixture 2-1 at the Racecourse Ground back in September when former manager Scott Lindsay was still at the helm, and they will find it even more challenging this time around without that day's goalscorer Junior Quitirna.
Meanwhile, Phil Parkinson's Wrexham have struggled at the start of 2025, and have won one, drawn one and lost three of their five games this year.
Most recently, the promotion hopefuls lost their unbeaten home record to Stevenage, who beat the Red Dragons 3-2 on Tuesday.
In a post-match interview, the manager labelled his team's performance as 'disappointing', saying that they failed to even do the basics right and needed to reflect ahead of this weekend.
Parkinson will also be concerned that his team have won just two away league games since August, and that record may cause Crawley to feel that even they have a genuine chance against the Red Dragons.
Wrexham are still eight points ahead of sixth-placed Leyton Orient, but with 18 games to play, they need to get back on track before they slip further down the table and into the sights of their playoff rivals, and a win over a relegation-threatened side could bring them some stability.
Team News
Crawley's Junior Quitirna has not featured since his side's 1-1 draw with Burton Albion on January 18, and Ade Adeyemo could start on the right flank in his absence this weekend.
The hosts are also without defenders Joy Mukena and Josh Flint, so expect a backline featuring Ben Radcliffe, Dion Conroy and Charlie Barker to protect recent signing Matthew Cox between the sticks.
Elsewhere, midfielder Jeremy Kelly had been playing with an ankle injury according to boss Elliot, and given that he missed the game against Mansfield, he is likely to be deputised by Bradley Ibrahim once again.
Also, fan-favourite midfielder Ronan Darcy has joined fellow League One side Wigan Athletic after making an appearance against Stockport County last week.
As for Wrexham, manager Parkinson singled out right-sided defender Max Cleworth for praise in the media recently, and the 22-year-old should start alongside Dan Scarr and Thomas O'Connor against Crawley.
Further forward, Elliot Lee and Ollie Palmer are likely to lead the line, with Paul Mullin and Steven Fletcher remaining as options to change the game from the bench.
Crawley Town possible starting lineup:
Cox; Radcliffe, Conroy, Barker; Forster, Camara, Ibrahim, Anderson, Swan; John-Jules, Hepburn-Murphy
Wrexham possible starting lineup:
Okonkwo; Cleworth, Scarr, O'Connor; Barnett, Dobson, James, Rathbone, McClean; Lee, Palmer
We say: Crawley Town 1-2 Wrexham
Wrexham may be the favourites in this clash but they have struggled recently, and they are likely to find it tough once again given their poor away record this season.
However, their quality should prove enough to get the win over Crawley, and they could get their season back on track by taking all three points in a close-fought contest on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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