Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

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

sportsmole.co.uk, 1 December 2022, 17:11
It is a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday as League Two leaders Leyton Orient welcome fifth-placed Bradford City in what promises to be a thrilling encounter.

The Bantams are without a victory in their previous two matches in all competitions though, while the hosts head into this following consecutive wins.

Match preview

Leyton Orient have been the dominant team in League Two this season, losing just two of their 19 matches to this point.

With a five-point gap at the top of the table, Dave Challinor will certainly be pleased by what he has seen from his men throughout the campaign.

The O's have been impressive at both ends of the pitch with 30 goals scored, and only 12 conceded, which is the best defensive record in the division.

Leyton Orient head into this one on the back of a 2-1 victory where they did not let the fact they conceded in the fifth minute stop them from getting all three points.

Goals from Darren Pratley and Omar Beckles proved to be enough in that match, and following that up with another win will help to continue their momentum.

The visitors might be 12 points behind their opponents this weekend, but they are still very much in the hunt for promotion as well.

Bradford City find themselves sat in fifth place at the moment, and a victory would put some pressure on those above them as they continue pushing for automatic promotion.

Mark Hughes will be demanding more from his team than they have provided in their previous two matches which has seen them lose twice while only scoring once.

Despite that the Bantams have been much more consistent away from home, losing just one game on the road so far in League Two.

With strong attacking options such as Andy Cook and Jamie Walker, Bradford will be confident that they will be able to push the hosts in this match.

Leyton Orient League Two form:

W

W

W

L

W

W

Leyton Orient form (all competitions):

W

W

L

L

W

W

Bradford City League Two form:

D

D

D

W

W

L

Bradford City form (all competitions):

D

L

W

W

L

L

Team News

Leyton Orient have been without Anthony Georgiou (hamstring) and Dan Nkrumah (knee) as of late, and this is something that is likely to continue this weekend.

After securing another victory gainst Stockport County there could be no changes made for the league leaders as they look to continue their momentum.

The visitors will likely make a host of changes after they rested several key members of their squad during the Football League Trophy defeat to Salford City.

Cook is sure to find himself starting again as Bradford's leading goalscorer, meanwhile the Bantams were boosted by Walker returning to the pitch in their previous match.

While he still may not be fit enough to start after being out of action since July, he is sure to be an option from the bench.

Leyton Orient possible starting lineup:

Vigouroux; Hunt, Happe, Beckles, Brown; El Mizouni, Pratley, Smyth, Moncur, Archibald; Kelman

Bradford City possible starting lineup:

Lewis; Halliday Songo'o, Platt, Foulds; Gilliead, Smallwood; Banks, Chapman, Eisa; Cook

We say: Leyton Orient 1-1 Bradford City

This is set to be a tense fixture between two of the strongest teams in League Two so far, with Leyton Orient being a dominant team while Bradford City are strong away from home.

Both are able to bring great attacking quality to the forefront, but seeing them battle out a draw would not be a huge surprise.

Previews by email

Top News

22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal broke an English football record in their 5-1 Premier League thrashing of Crystal Palace on Saturday, but it came at a significant cost, as Bukayo Saka was taken off with a suspected hamstring problem in the first half. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku is allegedly generating interest from at least five clubs. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona reportedly remain fully behind head coach Hansi Flick despite the team's latest title setback against Atletico Madrid on Saturday night. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Southampton's new head coach Ivan Juric is one not to be messed with as his physical scrap with Torino's sporting director showed. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking to pick up a third straight home win in the Primeira Liga, Vitoria de Guimaraes play host to Nacional at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on Monday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is reportedly looking for the Red Devils to build a new scouting team in Portugal in a bid to unearth the next Cristiano Ronaldo. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick is reportedly not interested in signing Manchester United attacker Alejandro Garnacho during next summer's transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool must take advantage of Tottenham Hotspur's considerable weaknesses and will be confident of victory on Sunday according to Reds expert David Lynch. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The January transfer window is almost here and clubs around the UK and Europe are lining up moves as they look to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Union Saint-Jean vs. Monaco (Sunday, 1.45pm) On Sunday, in a David vs. Goliath affair, Union Saint-Jean can pull off one of the biggest upsets in Coupe de France history when they take on Monaco in the round of 64 at Stadium de Toulouse. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Gaziantep vs. Antalyaspor (Sunday, 10.30am) After their Turkish Cup victory in midweek, Gaziantep will now turn their attention to the Turkish Super Lig, with Antalyaspor visiting the Kalyon Stadyumu in Sunday's gameweek 17 encounter. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Santa Clara vs. Braga (Sunday, 5.00pm) Still reeling from crashing out of the Taca de Portugal, Santa Clara return to action in the Primeira Liga when they play host to Braga at the Estadio de Sao Miguel on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sparta vs. Ajax (Sunday, 11.15am) Ajax will be looking to end the year on a high when they travel to Sparta-Stadion Het Kasteel to take on a stuttering Sparta Rotterdam in the Eredivisie on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Valencia vs. Alaves (Sunday, 1.00pm) Valencia will attempt to claim their third league when they welcome relegation rivals Alaves to Mestalla for Sunday's crucial La Liga encounter. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma vs. Parma (Sunday, 11.30am) Both struggling in the bottom half of the Serie A standings, Roma and Parma will hope for an early Christmas gift when they meet at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk VfL Bochum vs. Heidenheim (Sunday, 2.30pm) In a relegation six-pointer, VfL Bochum will hope to defeat Heidenheim when they welcome them to Vonovia Ruhrstadion on Sunday in their 15th Bundesliga game of the season. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Dundee Utd vs. Celtic (Sunday, 12.00pm) Celtic, looking to maintain their unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership, will travel to Tannadice Park on Sunday afternoon to face Dundee United. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Everton vs. Chelsea (Sunday, 2.00pm) Chelsea have the chance to go top of the Premier League for a brief time at least when they travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk South American giants Palmeiras have reportedly sent an 'initial proposal' to Fulham for midfielder Andreas Pereira. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Nuno Espirito Santo will rival Arne Slot to win the Premier League's Manager of the Year award. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona want to sever ties with attacker Ansu Fati at the earliest opportunity in the January transfer window but the player is rebelling against a move, according to a report. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane has confirmed that he wants to remain at the Allianz Arena despite links with a return to the Premier League next year. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Serie A powerhouses Napoli have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on a free transfer next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Sorloth scored a last-gasp winner as Atletico Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to go top of the La Liga table. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has been seen leaving Selhurst Park on crutches after sustaining a suspected hamstring problem in Saturday's 5-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have written a new page of English football history thanks to their 5-1 destruction of London rivals Crystal Palace in Saturday's Premier League derby. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Round 17 of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig will be wrapped up with a clash between two sides from the Marmara region, as Istanbul Basaksehir welcome Kasimpasa to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu on Monday evening. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Leicester loan star Facundo Buonanotte wants to see a Tottenham forward join him so they can rekindle their partnership. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal's rivals will hate it but they can definitely claim London is red after their 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus continued his resurgence with two goals as the Gunners demolished Crystal Palace 5-1 in the Premier League at Selhurst Park.