Desperate to get their playoff bid back on track, Wycombe Wanderers prepare to host Cambridge United in Tuesday evening's League One encounter.
The winless streak of Gareth Ainsworth's side continued with a 3-2 loss to Accrington Stanley at the weekend, while the U's were defeated 4-2 by Oxford United.
Match preview
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A swift return to Championship football is now in serious jeopardy for Wycombe, with Ainsworth now overseeing seven games without a win after Accrington Stanley ran out 3-2 winners in Saturday's energetic contest.
Twice Wycombe went ahead through Sam Vokes and Sullay Kaikai, and twice they were pegged back by Korede Adedoyin and Ross Sykes before Harry Pell netted the fifth and final goal of the game just after the hour mark for the disheartened Chairboys.
Ainsworth has vowed not to press the panic button as Wycombe's wait for a first win since January 15 goes on, but their miserable streak in the month of February has left them down in eighth in the standings and three points off the playoff places.
Conceding 11 goals in their last three League One matches certainly highlights where the majority of Wycombe's problems lie, and it is now just one win in their last seven at Adams Park, with Cambridge no stranger to famous away victories.
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Normally battling for supremacy in the Boat Race or the university rankings, Oxford and Cambridge locked horns on the Kassam Stadium pitch on Saturday, where the visitors' two-game winning streak was brought to an abrupt halt.
Like their upcoming opponents, Cambridge also went ahead twice on the day through Sam Smith before Oxford found their groove, with two late strikes from Sam Baldock and Cameron Brannagan seeing off Mark Bonner's outfit.
While Cambridge did at least manage to find the back of the net twice for the fourth game running, their underwhelming away form proved their Achilles' heel once more, with that 4-2 defeat seeing them occupy 13th spot in the rankings but comfortably 13 points clear of the drop zone.
Mid-table obscurity is seemingly now the only outcome for this Cambridge side, who travel to Wycombe having failed to win any of their last five League One battles on the road and boasting only one point from the last 12 on offer against the Chairboys.
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Team News
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Wycombe must check on the fitness of Curtis Thompson ahead of Tuesday's game, while Ryan Tafazolli picked up a groin injury just before the recent loss to Wigan Athletic and will also need assessing.
However, Dominic Gape was able to complete the full 90 minutes against Accrington after his lengthy layoff, but Lewis Wing is ready to deputise should Ainsworth be cautious over the former's fitness.
As for Cambridge, Harrison Dunk was fit enough to play 85 minutes in the defeat to Oxford, but Joe Ironside's ankle problem is set to keep him sidelined once again.
Shilow Tracey has slowly been building up his game time and could now come into contention for a start in the final third alongside the veteran Wes Hoolahan - assuming that his 39-year-old legs can handle two starts in quick succession.
Ben Worman could beef up the midfield if Hoolahan does not make the first XI, while Liam O'Neil is pushing for inclusion after a late substitute outing at Oxford.
Wycombe Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Stockdale; Grimmer, Stewart, Jacobson; McCarthy, Wing, Scowen, Obita; McCleary, Vokes, Kaikai
Cambridge United possible starting lineup:
Mitov; Williams, Okedina, Sherring, Dunk; Digby, O'Neil; Lankester, Hoolahan, Brophy; Smith
We say: Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 Cambridge United
Bonner expressed his belief that Cambridge are starting to go toe-to-toe with the big boys after performing valiantly against Oxford, and there is certainly no better time to face Wycombe amid their disappointing streak.
However, the U's away form does not make for pleasant reading, and even though Wycombe have displayed an inability to keep the back door shut in recent weeks, we still expect the Chairboys to finally end the rut and get their playoff bid back on track.
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 Wycombe Wanderers win with a probability of 54.51%. A draw had a probability of 23.3% and a win for Cambridge United had a probability of 22.17%.
The most likely scoreline for a Wycombe Wanderers win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.58%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.81%) and 2-0 (9.39%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.05%), while for a Cambridge United win it was 0-1 (6.23%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 5.6% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Wycombe Wanderers would win this match.
