Crawley Town must beat Exeter City at Broadfield Stadium on Easter Monday to keep their faint hopes of League One survival alive after gameweek 44.
The Red Devils could only draw on Good Friday against freshly crowned champions Birmingham City, leaving them six points behind Burton Albion, having played one game more than the side they are chasing in 20th.
Match preview
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While Crawley played commendably to hold Birmingham to a draw on Friday, Scott Lindsey's men needed to stun the champions to enhance their chances of avoiding relegation.
Despite ending a three-game losing streak by playing to a goalless draw at St Andrew's, the outcome of the West Sussex outfit's latest match leaves the Red Devils second-bottom in the table after 43 games, six points adrift of Burton, who have an outstanding fixture against Wigan Athletic on April 29.
While the 20th-placed side host Birmingham in the first of three consecutive home fixtures, Crawley will require losses in those matches while securing maximum points in their games to have any chance of avoiding relegation.
However, that swift turnaround appears unrealistic for Crawley, who are second-bottom in the 2025 table, recording four wins and five draws from 21 games.
Having failed to win since late March, suffering three defeats in their last four matches, the Red Devils, who only secured promotion via the playoffs last season, are fighting a losing battle to retain their League One status.
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Exeter could seal Crawley's fate on Easter Monday by securing at least a draw in West Sussex, extending their three-match unbeaten run.
Gary Caldwell's team have claimed five points from their last three games, drawing with Wigan and Burton surrounding a victory at relegation-threatened Bristol Rovers on April 12.
That win marked Exeter's second consecutive victory on the road, following a similar triumph at Barnsley at the start of the month, which improved their unbeaten streak to five matches away from home after three straight draws at Reading, Rotherham United and Lincoln City.
With the Grecians neither able to reach the playoff positions nor threatened by relegation, they face no pressure heading into Monday's match, apart from finishing higher than last season's 13th place.
The 14th-placed visitors enter Monday's game on a four-match unbeaten streak in this fixture across all competitions, claiming three wins and playing to a thrilling 4-4 draw in this season's reverse fixture, and aim to improve that record against Monday's hosts.
Team News
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With Jojo Wollacott possibly still out due to injury, Toby Steward should continue between the sticks for Crawley.
The Red Devils have suffered no apparent new injuries against Birmingham, but Joy Mukena and Ryan Sandford are expected to miss out for the hosts.
Kamari Doyle, who spent the first half of the season at Exeter, has scored six times and assisted four since joining Crawley from Brighton & Hove Albion in January, and the forward's contributions could be crucial to securing maximum points in round 44.
While Jack Fitzwater returned to the bench against Burton, Exeter are expected to be without the injured Yanic Wildschut, Pierce Sweeney, Johnly Yfeko, Demetri Mitchell and Ryan Trevitt.
The Grecians have had four different goalscorers across both wins against Barnsley and Bristol — Trevitt, Josh Magennis, Caleb Watts and Reece Cole — highlighting the club's ability not to rely on one player for decisive actions.
Crawley Town possible starting lineup:
Steward; Radcliffe, Conroy, Barker; Roles, Camara, Fraser, Ibrahim, Kelly; Hepburn-Murphy, Doyle
Exeter City possible starting lineup:
Whitworth; Turns, MacDonald, Hartridge; McMillan, McDonald, Francis, Niskanen; Watts, Cole; Cox
We say: Crawley Town 1-1 Exeter City
Although Exeter have no serious motivation in the final rounds of 2024-25, the away side's form and history in this fixture mean Crawley are expected to settle for a point in West Sussex, thus all but confirming their relegation to League Two.
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