King's Lynn Town host Chesterfield at The Walks on Monday, as both sides seek a second National League win in the space of 48 hours.
While the hosts' weekend success saw them overcome a first-day loss, the Spireites have won both of their first two fixtures without conceding a goal.
Match preview
King's Lynn finished 21st last season, conceding nearly 100 goals in the process, so are intent on an improvement in fortunes this time around.
However, Sam Dalby's eighth-minute strike for Southend got their campaign off to a depressingly familiar start last week, and though they prevented the Shrimpers adding another, they fell to a disappointing 1-0 home defeat in front of a substantial away following.
On Saturday, the Linnets made the long journey to Yeovil in search of a first victory of the 2021-22 season, and were eventually able to break through against their 10-man opponents by scoring twice in the final 20 minutes in a 2-1 win.
Against one of the early-season promotion favourites, Lynn ultimately got their reward for an improved performance when substitute Munashe Sundire netted the winner, after former Yeovil man Gold Omotayo's header had hit the post.
Despite the lengthy return trip, confidence will certainly have been bolstered within Ian Culverhouse's squad ahead of the arrival of another big-name club at this level.
Chesterfield opened their 2021-22 campaign with a win at Aldershot, thanks to second-half strikes from Danny Rowe and Kabongo Tshimanga, as they restricted their hosts to just a solitary shot on target with a well-drilled display.
The Spireites were then back in action on Saturday, as they took on Wealdstone at the Technique Stadium - the first time the club had opened its doors at full capacity for a competitive fixture since March 2020.
Goals from Saidou Khan and George Carline secured a second successive win for the side managed by James Rowe and they will expect to make it three on the spin despite being the away team on Monday.
Last season, Chesterfield certainly had the better of the two meetings with King's Lynn, as they won 2-1 in Norfolk before May's 4-1 victory on home soil.
Having subsequently finished sixth and then suffered playoff heartache at the hands of Notts County, this term Rowe's men will aim to leave the fifth tier through a more direct route, and return to the Football League automatically. To do so, fixtures such as this Bank Holiday clash will be considered must-wins.
- L
- W
- D
- W
- W
- L
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
Team News
King's Lynn completed the season-long loan signing of Ipswich Town youngster Brett McGavin last week and the 21-year-old made his debut from the bench in Saturday's clash with Yeovil. His arrival from the Tractor Boys comes with Cameron King unavailable, so Ian Culverhouse will be tempted to pitch him into midfield from the start.
Junior Morias was dismissed as Lynn made a losing start to the new season at The Walks - shown a straight red card for a reckless stamp on Southend's Jason Demetriou six minutes from time - so must serve the second game of a three-match suspension on Monday. Gold Omotayo and Malachi Linton could therefore be paired up front.
Chesterfield's Jack Clarke has made an impact after coming on as a substitute last week - replacing Liam Mandeville in the second half - and then earning a first start in Saturday's win, so the Irish midfielder should continue in the first XI at The Walks.
Jamie Grimes is set to compete with Fraser Kerr - now back to full fitness - for a spot in the visitors' defence, while Danny Rowe and Kabongo Tshimanga could play as a forward partnership again.
In midfield, Jak McCourt will be hoping to come back into contention for a start after being left out in the opening two games.
King's Lynn Town possible starting lineup:
Jones; Barrows, Bird, Callan-McFadden, Fernandez, Denton; Clunan, Coleman, Rowley; Linton, Omatayo
Chesterfield possible starting lineup:
Loach; Gunning, Grimes, Maguire, Miller; King, Oyeleke, Weston, Clarke; Rowe, Tshimanga
We say: King's Lynn Town 1-2 Chesterfield
Chesterfield's combination of greater firepower and more defensive resilience should help them to three valuable points on the road - making it a maximum tally from their opening trio of fixtures.
A season of struggle could lie ahead for King's Lynn, but signs of improvement have been evident and they will not make life easy for their visitors on Monday.
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 Chesterfield win with a probability of 52.68%. A draw had a probability of 24.2% and a win for King's Lynn Town had a probability of 23.14%.
The most likely scoreline for a Chesterfield win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.15%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.68%) and 0-2 (9.4%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.49%), while for a King's Lynn Town win it was 1-0 (6.82%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 9.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Chesterfield would win this match.
