Lincoln City play host to Burton Albion on Saturday afternoon looking for the win that will keep them on the periphery of the playoff race.
At a time when the home side sit in 10th place in the League One table, Burton are in 21st spot, now just two points away from moving outside of the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Having gone through a period of winning just once in 12 fixtures in League One, Michael Skubala's position in the Lincoln dugout felt under threat.
However, 12 points have since come the following eight matches to re-establish some calm, Lincoln earning three wins during that period.
The most of that trio of victories came last time out as the Imps cruised to a 3-0 victory at Mansfield Town, ensuring that they start the weekend in the top 10 of the standings.
Lincoln have now accumulated seven points from their last four away encounters, yet with only five coming from the same amount of games at the KNER Stadium.
That said, their one success during that period was a 5-1 thrashing of Peterborough United, highlighting what they are capable of on familiar territory.
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As for Burton, they continue to impress under Gary Bowyer, who has instigated such a turnaround where they now sit within touching distance of moving outside of the bottom four for the first time since the early weeks of the season.
Four wins and two draws have been posted in their last seven outings, the only defeat coming at Bristol Rovers where they conceded two late goals in a 3-1 reverse.
Their form at the Pirelli Stadium of late has been most impressive, collecting seven points from their last three such games, but Burton have also lost just once in their most recent six away fixtures.
With recent away successes at Wigan Athletic and Stevenage under their belt, Bowyer will be confident that they can add another eye-catching triumph to their tally on Saturday.
Team News
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Sam Clucas and Dom Jefferies are both pushing for recalls to the Lincoln XI after scoring as substitutes against Mansfield.
Ben House and Reeco Hackett appear to be the duo most likely to drop out of the side if any changes are made by Skubala.
Although Paudie O'Connor and House have both accumulated nine yellow cards, the cut-off point for 10 cautions bringing about a two-match ban has now passed.
Burton will be forced into one change in defence after Terence Vancooten was dismissed in the win over Stevenage.
Dylan Williams may potentially be used on the left-hand side of the back three, but the remainder of the team could stay the same.
Lincoln City possible starting lineup:
Jeacock; Jackson, O'Connor, Roughan; Darikwa, Bayliss, McGrandles, Clucas, Hackett; Makama, Collins
Burton Albion possible starting lineup:
Crocombe; Sweeney, Armer, Williams; Godwin-Malife, Webster, Lofthouse, McKiernan, Dodgson; Burrell, Bodvarsson
We say: Lincoln City 2-1 Burton Albion
Although Burton are the form team heading into this contest, we cannot ignore the manner of Lincoln's win at Mansfield. With that in mind, we are backing Skubala's side to come through with a hard-fought victory, perhaps courtesy of a late goal.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
