Stockport County will welcome Notts County to Edgeley Park on Friday for a key clash at the top end of the League Two table.
The hosts stayed six points clear at the summit of England's fourth tier with an eye-catching 8-0 win last weekend, while a dip in form has seen their visitors quickly drop to sixth spot.
Match preview
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Despite having headed into the festive period in the midst of their first blip of the season, Stockport County still find themselves in an enviable position in their League Two promotion bid this term, as they currently sit top after 22 games with 46 points on the board, six clear of the chasing pack and seven ahead of fourth place, albeit with the sides below them having games in hand.
That standing is in no small part down to a historic run between early September and mid-November, as Dave Challinor's side moved clear of the pack with 12 straight league victories, scoring 31 goals along the way before eventually being halted by a 2-1 defeat away at Newport County late last month.
Meetings with Salford City and Morecambe then followed, and the Hatters saw their lead cut further as they failed to return to winning ways, playing out 0-0 and 1-1 draws respectively, having only earned a point late on through Kyle Wootton in the latter, before setting out to bounce back at home to basement side Sutton United at the weekend.
Indeed, Challinor's men did so in eye-catching fashion, dishing out an 8-0 beating at Edgeley Park as a Ryan Croasdale brace and goals from Wootton and Paddy Madden had them four ahead at the interval, before the latter completed a hat-trick in the second half alongside finishes from Joel Cotterill and Isaac Olaofe.
Having certainly rediscovered their groove at the weekend, while maintaining their six-point lead over second place, Stockport County are bound to return to action on Friday with a degree of renewed confidence and will look to make it back-to-back triumphs to strengthen their position for Christmas.
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They meet a Notts County side who are seeking a similar reaction of their own in their fight at the top end of League Two, having endured a slight dip in form after making a fine start to the campaign on their return to England's fourth tier.
Following their promotion from the National League under Luke Williams last term, the Magpies quickly established themselves in the leading pack once again as they amassed 33 points from their first 18 outings, picking up 10 wins and scoring 37 goals along the way, but they have hit a tougher spell in recent weeks.
The Meadow Lane outfit now head into Friday's game having lost three of their last four games in the fourth tier, firstly falling to a 4-2 defeat away at AFC Wimbledon before bouncing back in impressive fashion with a 3-1 beating of Crawley Town on home turf.
A meeting with Walsall then followed, and Williams's men were beaten 2-1 despite going ahead through Aden Baldwin, before they most recently travelled to 16th-placed Harrogate Town last Saturday and failed to rebound, eventually succumbing to a 3-1 loss, as Jodi Jones halved the deficit in the 67th minute only for Matty Daly to instantly add a third for the hosts.
While they can still certainly be pleased with their standing in the playoff places, the tough run has seen Notts County drop to sixth spot, four points outside of the automatic promotion places having played more games than all sides around them, and they will now be desperate to bounce back with what would be an eye-catching result on the road against a promotion rival on Saturday.
Team News
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While he may wish to make some rotations given the busy festive schedule, Dave Challinor does not have reason to make wholesale changes to his Stockport County side following their 8-0 home win last time out, and we should see a similar starting XI on Friday, with key men Louie Barry and Antoni Sarcevic remaining confined to the treatment room.
Isaac Olaofe, who leads the squad's scoring charts with 13 League Two goals so far this term, will be pushing to return up front from the outset, having scored off the bench at the weekend, although he faces tough competition after Kyle Wootton netted his fifth of the campaign in that game, while Paddy Madden notched up a hat-trick and should also feature again.
In Sarcevic's absence, Callum Camps should again join key man Ryan Croasdale in midfield, while Neill Byrne, Fraser Horsfall and Ethan Pye are bound to line up in an unchanged back three.
Notts County could again be without key forward David McGoldrick, who missed their trip to Harrogate Town last time out after notching up eight goals in his first 19 league appearances of the season.
They do have plenty more firepower in attack, though, and Macaulay Langstaff will continue to lead the line having netted 14 goals in the fourth tier so far this term, while the likes of Dan Crowley and Jodi Jones offer further threat for the Magpies.
Jones and Aaron Nemane should revert to wing-back roles for the trip to Edgeley Park, while Sam Austin could again join John Bostock in the engine room, despite competition from former Bournemouth and Watford man Dan Gosling.
Stockport County possible starting lineup:
Hinchliffe; Byrne, Horsfall, Pye; Knoyle, Croasdale, Camps, Touray; Bailey; Madden, Olaofe
Notts County possible starting lineup:
Stone; Cameron, Baldwin, Chicksen; Nemane, Bostock, Austin, Jones; Crowley, Morias; Langstaff
We say: Stockport County 2-1 Notts County
We anticipate a hard-fought encounter at Edgeley Park between two of League Two's strongest sides, with one goal either way likely settling it.
Given their recent results and with home advantage, we give a slight edge to the table-topping hosts to get over the line and head into Christmas with an enviable lead at the summit, but they certainly face one of their toughest tests yet.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
