Preview: Stevenage vs. Crewe Alexandra - prediction, team news, lineups

The home side will be looking to secure back-to-back wins in the league for the first time since January after their 3-1 win against Walsall, while Crewe flipped the game on its head late in their last outing, scoring twice in the last three minutes to beat Salford City 4-3.

Match preview

It has been a somewhat sobering experience for Stevenage in the last month, after the dazzling beginning to the season they had.

One win in six inside the month of February saw their strong positioning in the League Two table slightly diminish, lingering in third with Northampton Town now on their heels, and The Boro will need to start acquiring three points on a more consistent basis soon if they have ambitions of automatic promotion.

They put themselves back on track in their last match by winning 3-1 against Walsall, with Josh March's brace and Luke Norris's early strike being too much for the away side to overcome.

However, seven matches without a clean sheet will be of worry to Steve Evans, as his side will need to stop leaking goals if they wish to continue winning games.

The home side will be confident heading into this clash, as the last time these two sides faced this season a Jamie Reid brace was enough to cancel out Rodney McDonald's opener in a 2-1 victory.

Meanwhile, The Railwaymen are once again having an underwhelming season, 14 points adrift of the playoff places in 17th in the League Two table, following their rock-bottom finish and relegation from League One last campaign.

However, a run of seven games unbeaten in the league has seen confidence grow in recent weeks, most notably in their last outing where late goals by Connor O'Riordan and Daniel Agyei converted zero points to three, beating Salford City 4-3 at home.

A lack of victories has been the downfall of Lee Bell's men since he took over the reins in November, as the visiting side have the highest number of games drawn in the league this season, sharing the spoils 15 times so far.

Ranking 21st in the league for goals scored per match, last weekend's four-goal dramatics are a rarity for Crewe - meaning they will need to be more defensively solid than in their recent encounter with Salford if they are to accrue a result here.

Daniel Agyei is currently in form for his side with three goals in his last two appearances and will be key in their attempt to expose a shaky Stevenage defence as of late.

Stevenage League Two form:

D

L

L

W

L

W

Crewe Alexandra League Two form:

W

D

D

D

D

W

Team News

Evans may be tempted to name an unchanged starting XI after their 3-1 victory against Walsall on the weekend.

The change of formation to four at the back provided them with a more stable performance in their last match and it is likely that they remain in the same shape for this encounter.

After overcoming Salford in their last match, Bell is likely to remain with the same starting XI from Saturday.

David Amoo, Zac Williams and Chris Long all remain on the sidelines for this matchup, as they are currently suffering from injuries.

The away side will also be without Rodney McDonald in this upcoming clash, with the centre-back being suspended due to the red card he received against Sutton United.

Stevenage possible starting lineup:

McCracken; Smith, Sweeney, Piergianni, Clark; Gilbrey, Reeves, Taylor; Roberts; Norris, March

Crewe Alexandra possible starting lineup:

Beadle; Mellor, O'Riordan, Offord, Adebisi; Ainley, Tabiner, Finnigan, Uwakwe, Agyei; Nevitt

We say: Stevenage 3-1 Crewe Alexandra

Stevenage are the more likely side to dominate large proportions of this match and will attempt to dictate play inside their opponents' half.

We believe that this game will be littered with goals due to both sides' recent record of goals conceded, but Stevenage will score more than their opponents due to being the superior attacking side.

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