Seeking to pick up a fourth home win on the trot, Walsall play host to Oldham Athletic at the Banks's Stadium in round 37 of League Two on Tuesday.
The visitors, on the other hand, head into the game on a four-game winless run and will be looking to end this dry spell and move out of the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Walsall continued their push into the top half of the League Two standings as they claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Sutton United on home turf last Saturday.
In a cagey affair at the Banks's Stadium, Irish forward Conor Wilkinson stepped up and calmly conveyed his penalty shortly after the half-hour mark to end the visitor's three-game winning streak.
Walsall are now unbeaten in each of their most recent four games, claiming two wins and two draws, while losing just once in their last seven since ending a seven-game losing streak back in February.
After failing to win any of their opening four home games this year, Michael Flynn's men also head into Tuesday's game a run of three straight wins at home, seeing off Tranmere Rovers, Hartlepool United and most recently Sutton United.
This fine run has seen Walsall steer clear of the drop zone and rise to 16th place in the League Two standings, level on 43 points with Bradford City and Harrogate Town after 36 rounds of matches.
Meanwhile, Oldham Athletic were handed their second consecutive league defeat for the first time since losing two back in January as they were beaten 1-0 by Swindon Town last time out.
With the game headed for a draw, 26-year-old defender and club captain Dion Conroy came up clutch for the Robins as he scored with what was the final significant touch of the game in the 96th minute.
Prior to that, John Sheridan's men saw their seven-game unbeaten run come to an end courtesy of a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Carlisle United on March 5, when Omari Patrick and Morgan Feeney scored second-half goals to cancel out Hallam Hope's opener.
While they have two games in hand, Oldham Athletic are currently bottom but one in the league standings with 31 points from 34 games, seven points above rock-bottom Scunthorpe United.
Next up is the stern test of going up against an opposing side who they have failed to defeat in any of the last three meetings between the sides, losing twice and holding out for one draw since a 2-0 victory back in October 2019.
While the Latics will be looking to move out of the drop zone, it is worth noting their struggles on the road this season as they have managed just one win in their last 14 away games and boast the league's fifth-worst record on the road with 16 points from 18 games.
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Team News
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Flynn opted for a back five in the game against Sutton last time out and after seeing his side claim their first clean sheet in five games, the Welshman could stick to his new-found formation.
This means we could see Emmanuel Osadebe, Hayden White, Donervon Daniels, Emmanuel Monthe and Tyrese Shade shielding Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Carl Rushworth between the sticks.
Further up the pitch, the trio of club captain Joss Labadie, Jack Earing and Liam Kinsella should handle the business in midfield, while George Miller and Wilkinson spearhead the attack.
Meanwhile, Oldham Athletic will take to the pitch without the services of Jordan Clarke, who is currently suspended after receiving his marching orders in the game against Swindon Town on Saturday.
On the injury front, 18-year-old forward Junior Luamba, who has scored two goals in nine appearances this season, is out of contention for the Latics after suffering a hamstring problem back in February.
Walsall possible starting lineup:
Rushworth; Osadebe, White, Daniels, Monthe, Shade; Labadie, Earing, Kinsella; Miller, Wilkinson
Oldham Athletic possible starting lineup:
Rogers; Diarra, McGahey, Piergianni, Hart; Missilou, Whelan; Keillor-Dunn, Bahamboula, Adams; Hope
We say: Walsall 3-1 Oldham Athletic
Having lost consecutive games for the first time since last December, Oldham Athletic appear to have run out of steam. They go up against a spirited Walsall side who are unbeaten in four consecutive games and have won three straight on home turf. We are backing Walsall to come away with all three points and extend their recent dominance in the history of this fixture.
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 Walsall win with a probability of 46.24%. A win for Oldham Athletic had a probability of 27.06% and a draw had a probability of 26.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Walsall win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.36%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.97%) and 2-0 (8.79%). The likeliest Oldham Athletic win was 0-1 (8.87%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.61%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with an 9% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Walsall would win this match.
