Azerbaijan
Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Nigeria
Saudi Arabia

Preview: Wrexham vs. Bradford City - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 8 February 2024, 21:42
Wrexham will be aiming to end their losing streak when they host Bradford City at Racecourse Ground on Saturday.

The visitors, meanwhile, are also on a winless streak in League Two, having failed to win any of their last eight league matches.

Match preview

Wrexham's red-hot start to the year has fizzled out, with three consecutive defeats across all competitions.

The Red Dragons stormed out of the gates with three straight wins in January, but their form has nosedived since then.

They suffered a demoralizing 4-1 defeat that knocked them out of the FA Cup against Blackburn Rovers, followed by a 3-1 loss to Salford City last time out.

These setbacks have seen Phil Parkinson's men slip to fourth in League Two, six points behind leaders Stockport County, having played fewer games than their rivals.

With cup commitments now a distant memory, Wrexham can fully focus on achieving their dream of consecutive promotions, following their triumph in the National League playoffs last season.

Parkinson and his squad should be confident, facing an opponent in disarray. However, history paints a worrying picture, with Wrexham having only one victory against Bradford in their last 12 meetings, drawing four and losing seven.

Bradford City's woes are even deeper, dragging them into mediocrity with eight winless League Two matches, last of which was a goalless draw against Wimbledon.

Their playoff disappointment last season, where they were edged out by Carlisle United, seems to have carried over, leaving them languishing in 18th place, seven points behind the coveted top-seven positions.

Graham Alexander's team have mustered only two wins since the new year, both coming in the EFL Cup Trophy against Derby County and Doncaster Rovers.

The Bantams are back on the road where their recent form is equally concerning, with no wins in their last three trips, recording two defeats and a draw.

Despite their struggles, Bradford can draw some confidence from their strong historical record at the Racecourse Ground, boasting four wins in their last six visits.

Nevertheless, Alexander's men will need a monumental turnaround to overcome their current slump and snatch points from a better-placed Wrexham outfit.

Wrexham League Two form:

W

L

W

W

L

L

Wrexham form (all competitions):

W

W

W

L

L

L

Bradford City League Two form:

L

L

D

D

L

D

Bradford City form (all competitions):

W

D

D

L

W

D

Team News

Wrexham come into this match with a clean bill of health, giving manager Phil Parkinson a wealth of options to choose from.

Sam Dalby, who has directly contributed to goals in the last two matches, is likely to start in attack alongside Paul Mullin.

Bradford City are expected to field a similar team to the one that earned a point against Wimbledon last time out, meaning Ciaran Kelly, Matthew Platt, and American Jonathan Tomkinson should form the centre-back trio.

Jake Young, who has 16 goals in 27 league appearances this season, is expected to lead the line once again.

Wrexham possible starting lineup:

Okonkwo; Tunnicliffe, Tozer, Hayden; Barnett, Cannon, Evans, Lee, McClean; Dalby, Mullin

Bradford City possible starting lineup:

Walker; Tomkinson, Platt, Kelly; Halliday, McDonald, Smallwood, Richards; Chapman, Gilliead, Young

We say: Wrexham 1-0 Bradford City

Previews by email

Top News

1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Mason Greenwood is reportedly keen to return to Getafe next season, having enjoyed his time with the La Liga outfit during the 2023-24 campaign. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Rangers have announced that Ryan Jack, Borna Barisic, Kemar Roofe, John Lundstram and Jon McLaughlin have all left the club following the expiry of their contracts. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Casemiro was reportedly unhappy that he was overlooked for a start in Manchester United's FA Cup final success over Manchester City last weekend. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A forgotten Liverpool defender has confirmed his desire to leave the Reds permanently this summer and has blasted the club for 'hindering' his future career. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona could reportedly sell Brazilian attacker Raphinha for €100m (£85.2m) during this summer's transfer window, with a powerful Saudi Pro League outfit said to be determined to sign him. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Romania have announced their provisional 28-man squad ahead of this summer's Euro 2024 in Germany. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bound for this summer's Euro 2024 finals, Scotland seek an end to their long winless streak on Monday evening, when they meet international minnows Gibraltar at Estadio Algarve. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has named Barcelona's Fermin Lopez and Real Betis' Ayoze Perez in his preliminary squad for this summer's European Championship. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering a summer move for Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk While Jurgen Klopp lapped up most of the fanfare as he took his Liverpool leave, some attention turned to the Reds players who will not be continuing their careers under Arne Slot. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Beginning their build-up to Euro 2024, Croatia welcome North Macedonia to Rijeka for an international friendly on Monday evening. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Under the watchful eyes of head coach Mikel Arteta and esteemed sporting director Edu, Arsenal have made a habit of tying their integral performers down to new long-term contracts amid their rise to Premier League title challengers. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Everton have released a statement confirming that 777 Partners' proposed takeover has fallen through having missed the latest deadline to buy the Premier League club. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Before trying to cause a seismic shock in the Euro 2024 Group of Death, Albania seek a stress-free friendly win over minnows Liechtenstein on Monday night in Hungary. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England manager Gareth Southgate should not risk captain Harry Kane for the Three Lions' Euro 2024 warm-up friendly with Bosnia-Herzegovina at St James' Park on Monday evening. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk In their first of two pre-Euro 2024 warm-up friendlies, England welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to Newcastle United's St James' Park base on Monday evening. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have made a habit of handing long-term contracts to as many players as possible since their arrival in 2022. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly learned that a modest fee of £35m could be enough to capture one of their prime defensive targets for the summer transfer window. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Crystal Palace are reportedly in discussions with Sunderland over a deal for Jobe Bellingham. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have apparently made a shock approach to an ex-Barcelona manager amid perennial uncertainty over Erik ten Hag's future. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have reportedly suffered an early blow in their pursuit of a defensive midfielder, as one of Mikel Arteta's top targets has ruled out a switch to the Emirates Stadium. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The season is over and while the transfer window doesn't technically open until June 14, clubs across the UK and Europe are free to get deals in place ahead of next season. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk DC United vs. Toronto (Sunday, 12.30am) Seeking their first-ever victory at Audi Field, Toronto will end their two-game MLS road trip with a visit to the US capital to face DC United on Saturday. 1 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Gremio vs. Bragantino (Saturday, 8.00pm) Bragantino travel to Porto Alegre to face Gremio at the Estadio Couto Pereira for a Brasileiro battle on Saturday. 31 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that Rodrygo remains "very important" to Real Madrid amid interest from Manchester City and Liverpool. 31 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will reportedly unveil Kylian Mbappe as their first summer signing on Monday. 31 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk KRC Genk are set to host KAA Gent at the Cegeka Arena in Belgium's Pro League on Sunday, and the winner will qualify for the Europa Conference League. 31 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are reportedly prepared to cool their interest in Napoli forward Victor Osimhen. 31 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Serbia Under-17s and Portugal Under-17s will go head-to-head in Sunday's European Under-17 Championship semi-final. 31 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo has opened the door to a summer departure, amid interest from Liverpool.