Now only one win away from assuring themselves of promotion to League One, Exeter City play host to Barrow in Tuesday's League Two encounter at St James' Park.
Matt Taylor's side inched closer to the third tier by beating Rochdale 2-0 at the weekend, while the visitors also kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 success over Sutton United.
Match preview
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Forest Green Rovers have already got the ribbons and champagne out, and Exeter City could very well be joining them with a positive result in midweek, as Taylor's side did what they needed to do during the visit of Rochdale.
Timothee Dieng and Matt Jay struck either side of the half-time whistle for Exeter in an ultimately straightforward success against Rochdale, and another victory in front of their own supporters would end their 10-year absence from the third tier of English football.
The second-placed hosts could even rise to the summit if results and goals go in their favour in midweek, with Forest Green due to take on Swindon Town at the same time, but at the very least, a win would guarantee that they could not be caught by Northampton Town before the two sides meet on Saturday.
Still unbeaten at home in League Two in 2022, Exeter City enter Tuesday's game having won each of their last four at St James Park - scoring two goals on each occasion - and Barrow are facing an uphill battle to spoil the Grecians' promotion party.
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Barrow's end-of-season goals have vastly differed to that of their upcoming hosts this week, but Phil Brown's side can look forward to another season of League Two football after getting the better of Sutton United with 10 men at the weekend.
Barely a minute after John Rooney had propelled Barrow into the ascendancy, Josh Kay saw red for the hosts for two bookable offences, but Brown's side held on for a precious three points after Rob Milsom's penalty was beaten away by Paul Farman.
The end of the game was marred by a supporter being arrested after an allegation of racism towards a visiting player, but Brown's side did what they needed to do on the pitch to assure themselves of survival after Oldham Athletic's fate was sealed with a loss to Salford City.
The pressure is therefore off for Barrow before they meet Swindon and Northampton in the last two matchdays, but they have taken seven points from the last nine on offer in League Two - including that 4-0 thumping of Forest Green Rovers - and they managed to hold Exeter to a goalless draw back in August.
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Team News
Exeter did not pick up any fresh concerns in the win over Rochdale, but Taylor will be forced into an attacking change, with Offrande Zanzala ineligible to feature against his parent club.
However, Sam Nombe could be ready to fill the attacking void this week, with the 23-year-old now back in full training and able to make the bench for the victory over Rochdale.
Harry Kite should also be at Taylor's disposal for this pivotal battle, but Alex Hartridge's hamstring tear has ruled him out for the foreseeable future.
As for Barrow, Kay's sending off in the win over Sutton leaves Brown with a decision to make on the left-hand side, where George Williams could deputise against Exeter.
Striker Aaron Amadi-Holloway was withdrawn due to an unspecified issue after the hour mark last time out and may now cede his spot to Josh Gordon, while Tom Beadling is also a fresh doubt after missing the Sutton victory due to injury.
Joe Grayson was fit enough to come off the bench last time out and could now be an option for rotation for the visitors, who can afford to make alterations with survival now secured.
Exeter City possible starting lineup:
Dawson; Sweeney, Grounds, Diabate; Key, Dieng, Collins, Caprice; Jay; Brown, Nombe
Barrow possible starting lineup:
Farman; Brown, Grayson, Platt, Brough; Gotts, Banks; Hutton, Rooney, Williams; Gordon
We say: Exeter City 2-0 Barrow
Barrow can afford to play without fear in their final few games of the season and have certainly turned up the heat in recent weeks, but performances away from home is still a sticky point for the visitors.
Meanwhile, Exeter continue to dominate on their own turf and will be determined to complete the job before meeting Northampton, and we expect the promotion party to begin on Tuesday night as Exeter claim the three points necessary to join Forest Green in League One.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Exeter City win with a probability of 60.28%. A draw had a probability of 23.2% and a win for Barrow had a probability of 16.51%.
The most likely scoreline for a Exeter City win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.86%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (12.11%) and 2-1 (9.53%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.9%), while for a Barrow win it was 0-1 (6.24%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.5% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Exeter City would win this match.
