Europe (UEFA)
Indonesia
Nigeria

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

sportsmole.co.uk, 12 March 2023, 22:38
Stevenage will be fighting to keep their spot in the automatic promotion places when they host Crewe Alexandra at The Lamex Stadium on Tuesday evening.

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.

Previews by email

Top News

29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United are allegedly preparing to rival Manchester City and Manchester United in the race to sign Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are allegedly likely to fail in any attempt to attract Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Gary O'Neil to Old Trafford. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea defender Thiago Silva will leave the Premier League outfit this summer, according to Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Top-four contenders Nice return from the international break on Sunday, when Ligue 1 strugglers Nantes visit Allianz Riviera under new management. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Gil Vicente vs. Famalicao (Friday, 3.30pm) Gil Vicente and Famalicao get round 27 of the Portuguese Primeira Liga underway when they go head to head at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos on Friday. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bristol City vs. Leicester (Friday, 12.30pm) Having been knocked off their Championship perch, an ailing Leicester City endeavour to reignite their title bid against Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Friday lunchtime. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Vitoria de Guimaraes will be looking to move level with Braga in the Conference League qualification spot when they go head to head with Moreirense on Saturday. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides who could do well with all three points go head to head in round 27 of the Primeira Liga as Estoril Praia play host to Porto at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota on Saturday. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fulham boss Marco Silva has admitted he has spoken to Willian about his future with the club. 29 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have reportedly discovered the asking price of Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes ahead of the summer transfer window. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Atlanta United can maintain their 100% record at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday when they host the Chicago Fire in the final MLS encounter of the weekend. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have reportedly suffered a blow in their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain attacker Xavi Simons, who has starred on loan at RB Leipzig this season. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to keep their faint hopes of European qualification alive, Freiburg will travel to Borussia Park to face Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England trio Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Cole Palmer are among a number of players who could be potential beneficiaries if UEFA agree to increase national team squad sizes from 23 to 26 for Euro 2024. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa Women will welcome fellow Midlands side Leicester Women to the Bescot Stadium for Saturday's lunchtime kickoff. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly increasingly pessimistic about their chances of hiring top managerial candidate Xabi Alonso this summer. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Orlando City will go head-to-head with the New York Red Bulls in gamweek six of the MLS regular season at the Inter&Co Stadium in Florida on Sunday morning. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to keep their European hopes alive, Eintracht Frankfurt will welcome Union Berlin to Deutsche Bank Park on Saturday afternoon in the Bundesliga. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Unbeaten in their five Major League Soccer matches so far, Los Angeles entertain the challenge of Seattle Sounders at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City Women will continue their title bid with a trip to Prenton Park for Saturday's Women's Super League meeting with Liverpool Women. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to respond following a defeat prior to the international break, Hearts will welcome Europe-chasing Kilmarnock to Tynecastle Park on Saturday afternoon in the Scottish Premiership. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fulham defender Calvin Bassey is expected to overcome an injury issue in time for Saturday's Premier League meeting with Sheffield United. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk RKC Waalwijk will be hoping to move outside of the Eredivisie's relegation zone by gaining a positive result against Heerenveen on Saturday. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Go Ahead Eagles could move up to sixth in the Eredivisie table by beating SBV Excelsior on Saturday. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to record back-to-back wins either side of the international break, Aberdeen will welcome Ross County to Pittodrie Stadium on Saturday afternoon in the Scottish Premiership. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid are reportedly prepared to be priced out of a move for Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk AZ Alkmaar will attempt to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches when they play host to Vitesse in Saturday's Eredivisie contest. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A blockbuster Premier League title showdown takes centre stage at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon as reigning champion Manchester City play host to leaders Arsenal. 28 March 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City duo John Stones and Kyle Walker missed training on Thursday ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with title rivals Arsenal.