Aiming to recover after their New Year's Day loss to League Two leaders Walsall, Notts County welcome in-form Swindon Town to Meadow Lane in Saturday's gameweek 25 action.
The 2-1 defeat saw the Nottingham outfit slide to seventh after a three-match winning run, and they seek a response against an opponent without a loss in four matches.
Match preview
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Although Walsall are the high-flying favourites to win League Two, Notts County will rue not making the most of the January 1 encounter despite leading until the 65th minute.
The Magpies led through Alassana Jatta before concessions in the 65th and 82nd minutes saw the table-toppers turn the game around and deny Stuart Maynard's men a fourth consecutive third-tier triumph.
Despite that loss seeing them slide to seventh, the final play-off spot, Notts County (37 points) could move within touching distance of second this weekend if they win and second-placed Doncaster (40) drop points against fifth-placed Port Vale.
Contrarily, a fourth home loss this term could see the Magpies lose their coveted top-seven place, given that Grimsby Town (37 points), Bradford City (35), and Chesterfield and MK Dons (34 each) are close to the East Midlands club in the table.
Maynard's team avoided losing on home soil in four consecutive League Two matches, winning three and keeping clean sheets in all of them, and hope the New Year's Day reverse against Walsall turns out to be a one-off.
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Even though the Nottingham outfit are favourites against an opponent 12 places lower in the division, Ian Holloway's men enter their second match of 2025 unbeaten in four, having won twice.
Although the Robins have relied on outscoring their opponents under the former Blackpool manager, Swindon found some form before the turn of the year, with only Colchester United and Bradford getting the better of the 19th-placed club.
Having lost four of their previous six games before beating Fleetwood Town on December 7, the Robins' recent results have taken them out of immediate danger, albeit only four points clear of second-bottom Morecambe.
Holloway's men rank fourth in the form table with 11 points from 16, a tally bettered by Walsall (18) and Salford City (15), highlighting their end-of-year resurgence and commendable start to the new year.
Regardless, it will be fascinating to see how sustainable their three-month run without a clean sheet proves to be, with the away side 14 matches without a shutout heading into round 25.
Team News
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Although his 12th league goal was not decisive, Jatta's four match-winning strikes are bettered only by Walsall's Nathan Lowe (seven) and AFC Wimbledon's Matty Stevens (six), and the forward aims to add to his tally this weekend.
Having returned to the bench as an unused substitute against Cheltenham in late December, Jodi Jones was back on the pitch against Walsall for the first time since September, giving the Magpies another player of match-winning quality — Jones has seven direct goal contributions in seven appearances (six starts).
Having gone off injured after 54 minutes on New Year's Day, Harry Smith will be assessed before Saturday's visit to Meadow Lane.
Despite firing blanks in Swindon's dramatic comeback 3-2 win over Colchester to start 2025, Kabongo Tshimanga's two game-clinching goals from three strikes make him a genuine game-changer for the away side.
Notts County possible starting lineup:
Bass; McDonald, Platt, Bedeau; Austin, Abbot, Palmer, Martin; Crowley; Jatta, McGoldrick
Swindon Town possible starting lineup:
Barden; Sobowale, Wright, Delaney, Kirkman, Cox; Clarke, Ofoborh, Cotterill; Drinan, Tshimanga
We say: Notts County 2-2 Swindon Town
While Notts County and Swindon are at opposite ends of the table, the hosts have won just 50% of their 10 fixtures on home turf, while the visitors have notched one win from 13 road matches, albeit playing a league-high seven away draws.
Despite the Magpies' tag as favourites, Saturday's encounter could see both sides share the spoils in a high-scoring draw in the East Midlands.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
