Before 2023 ends, Walsall will host Wrexham on Friday at Bescot Stadium in the 24th League Two fixture for both sides.
The Saddlers have won two of their last three domestic encounters, defeating Crew Alexandra 2-0 on Boxing Day, while Wrexham held onto a 1-0 victory over Swindon Town, their third successive triumph in this competition.
Match preview
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To this point of the domestic campaign, Walsall have taken advantage of their home field to stay well above the relegation line, with 19 of their 30 points this season occurring at Bescot Stadium.
The club from the West Midlands have been tough to break down defensively at home, without a goal conceded in four successive matches in all competitions.
Mat Sadler's men have not lost a domestic contest all season when scoring the opening goal, while they have not trailed a League Two encounter at home since November 11 (1-0 loss to Harrogate Town).
Five of their eight league victories this season have been against sides currently above them in the table, while they have not suffered a defeat at home in this competition to a team currently below them.
Walsall have lost their last three domestic encounters that have taken place on December 29, while they have yet to win a match on that date since 2007, defeating Oldham Athletic on that occasion 2-0 in League One.
They have suffered just one defeat in their last five matches in all competitions versus Wrexham, losing 4-2 at the Racecourse Ground earlier this season.
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With 46 points from their opening 23 encounters, Wrexham are well-positioned to earn a second successive promotion after spending 15 years outside the football league.
On Boxing Day, they ended a two-match winless run away from home in this competition, putting them within striking distance of Stockport County for first, trailing them by four points but with a game in hand.
While they are positioned to earn an automatic place in League One for now, one slip-up could change everything as the Red Dragons are only two points above Barrow in fourth, which could relegate them to the playoffs.
Even with so much money spent over the past few seasons and many new faces in the squad, Phil Parkinson has maintained a strong continuity within the group and plenty of consistency, failing to suffer consecutive defeats all season.
Overall, they have been more successful at home in this competition but have been more compact defensively outside the Racecourse Ground, conceding just 12 of their 32 goals this season as the visiting team.
Wrexham have not beaten Walsall on their home field since the 2000-01 Second Division campaign (3-2), when Bescot Stadium was known as Banks's Stadium.
Team News
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Walsall were without Rollin Menayese and Owen Evans for their Boxing Day affair, as they are each still recovering from minor injuries.
Sadler made one change to the Walsall starting 11 on Tuesday, bringing Isaac Hutchinson into the fold in place of David Okagbue.
Freddie Draper picked up his team-leading 10th of the domestic campaign, with Oisin McEntee providing a little insurance, while Jackson Smith shut the door with four stops in their victory over Crewe Alexandra.
George Evans has missed the last two matches for Wrexham since being red-carded in a 2-1 win over Colchester United, and the club will be without James Jones for this encounter after he received a second caution 16 minutes from the end of their encounter with Swindon Town.
Jordan Davies was back on the field Tuesday, taking the place of Elliot Lee for the final few minutes, Steven Fletcher returned after previously undergoing knee surgery, while Ryan Barnett was on the sidelines as he continues to recover from knee ligament damage.
A 13th-minute strike from James McClean was enough to lift the Red Dragons to a victory versus Swindon Town, as Arthur Okonkwo made three stops for his first away clean sheet since October 28 (2-0 win over Notts County).
Walsall possible starting lineup:
Smith; McEntee, Farquharson, Daniels; Knowles, Comley, Earing, Hutchinson, Gordon; Johnson, Draper
Wrexham possible starting lineup:
Okonkwo; Forde, Boyle, Tozer, O'Connor, Mendy; Davies, Cannon, Lee; Mullin, McClean
We say: Walsall 1-2 Wrexham
While we expect Walsall to put up a formidable fight on Friday, the consistency and experience of Wrexham should give them the edge in this encounter.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
