Both fighting to keep their faint hopes of reaching the playoffs alive, Bradford City and Notts County will lock horns in a League Two clash at the University of Bradford Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Bantams had an afternoon to forget against league leaders Mansfield Town on Saturday, whilst the Magpies ground out a draw at Accrington Stanley on the same day.
Match preview
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Bradford's sight of the playoffs in League Two has faded even further following a disastrous first-half performance at Valley Parade on the weekend, when top-topping Mansfield raced into a four-goal lead by the interval to all but conclude the match as a competitive contest.
After some harsh words from manager Graham Alexander during the break, the Bantams managed to net a consolation through leading marksman Andy Cook, but the visiting Stags scored their fifth and final goal of the afternoon as Aaron Lewis breached finished past Sam Walker.
Following a sixth-placed finish and consequential playoff qualification last season, Bradford face an uphill task in making it back-to-back placements in the top seven, with Tuesday's hosts currently occupying 15th position, seven points behind seventh-placed AFC Wimbledon.
A glimmer of hope for the Bantams arrives in the fact that they have played at least a game fewer than the majority of their top-seven chasing rivals, although a 5-1 battering on the weekend is hardly the best confidence booster ahead of a vitally-important fixture against Notts County.
Much has been made of the less-than-ideal playing surface at Valley Parade since the EFL Trophy semi-final defeat to Wycombe Wanderers, and Bradford have struggled at their home venue in recent weeks, collecting just a single point from matches against Doncaster Rovers, Forest Green Rovers and Mansfield.
Following a 5-0 thrashing of 12th-placed Morecambe on December 29, which ended 2023 on a marvellous note, Notts County have struggled enormously for momentum during their first season back in the Football League since 2019, having won just one of their 12 League Two matches in the new calendar year.
On a more positive note, the Magpies managed to halt a five-game losing run during their trip to Accrington Stanley on Saturday afternoon, when first-half goals from Jim O'Brien and Alassana Jatta were enough to secure the visitors their maiden points since the victory at Newport County on February 13.
County boss Stuart Maynard is hoping that Saturday's stalemate at Wham Stadium can be the turning point for a productive conclusion to the campaign, but there is no hiding from the fact that Tuesday's visitors are struggling to adapt to life after ex-manager Luke Williams.
Having guided Notts County to a second-placed finish and playoff glory in the National League last term, 42-year-old Williams was poached by Championship outfit Swansea City in January, and the Nottingham-based outfit have only won once in nine attempts under the stewardship of Maynard.
Unlike last campaign's coach, marksman Macaulay Langstaff remains at Meadow Lane as the 2023-24 season approaches its final stages, and the 27-year-old has stepped up to Football League level with relative ease so far, netting 23 goals in 37 appearances as he fights Salford City's Matt Smith for the fourth-tier Golden Boot.
Team News
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Following a poor first-half showing last time out, Bradford are expected to make some alterations to their starting XI, with Liam Ridehalgh expected to drop to the bench.
Tyreik Wright has been a key figure for the Bantams since moving on loan from Plymouth Argyle in January, but the likes of Calum Kavanagh could take his spot in the team on Tuesday night.
After netting a consolation from the bench against Mansfield, leading goalscorer Cook should be promoted to the starting side, possibly at the expense of Tyler Smith.
Despite providing just five goal contributions in 36 League Two appearances this season, midfielder Sam Austin should continue behind Langstaff and Jatta in the Notts County side.
There is an argument for the Magpies to freshen things up in the engine room for Tuesday's trip to Yorkshire, with Charlie Colkett competing against John Bostock for a start.
Bradford City possible starting lineup:
Walker; Gilliead, Tomkinson, Kelly, Richards; Smallwood, Walker, McDonald; Kavanagh, Wright, Cook
Notts County possible starting lineup:
Slocombe; Macari, Baldwin, Cameron; Nemane, O'Brien, Bostock, Jones, Austin; Jatta, Langstaff
We say: Bradford City 1-1 Notts County
Bradford's form at Valley Parade has been woeful in recent weeks, but the Bantams will be raring to right the wrongs of Saturday afternoon in this one.
Notts County battled to a point at Accrington on the weekend, and we feel that Maynard's men will repeat the trick in Yorkshire on Tuesday night.
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Carter White
