Preview: Wrexham vs. Harrogate Town - prediction, team news, lineups

The Red Dragons completed a comeback victory at Morecambe on Saturday afternoon, whilst the Sulphurites were unable to earn anything from their contest at home to Crawley Town.

Match preview

Since the beginning of March, Wrexham have handed themselves a massive boost in the League Two promotion race with back-to-back wins over Accrington Stanley and Morecambe, with the latter coming on Saturday afternoon at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium, where a fightback was required for the visitors.

Going off the script against the title contenders, the Shrimps raced into a lead in the first period due to an early Gerard Garner strike, however the Red Dragons' experienced heads came up trumps in the end, with James McClean, Paul Mullin and Steven Fletcher all getting onto the scoresheet.

A run of two wins in eight League Two contests between January and the end of February threatened to derail Wrexham's hopes of earning back-to-back automatic promotions, however six points since the turn of the month has allowed Phil Parkinson's men to stay third in the fourth-tier standings, two points ahead of fourth-placed MK Dons, who have played a game more.

Having featured in the Football League during his time at the likes of Luton Town and Oxford United, it is no surprise to see Elliot Lee lighting up the fourth tier from the engine room, with the midfielder bagging a remarkable 15 goals in 36 League Two - three more than he managed in the entirety of last season's National League.

With the Red Dragons collecting 41 points from just 17 league matches at The Racecourse Ground this term, Wrexham boast the best home record in the entire division, and it is their away form which is holding them back from running away with the league, having won just six of 19 on the road.

Harrogate's ambitions of reaching the top seven this season have all but grinded to a complete halt following a six-game winless run which was extended by a defeat at home to fellow midtable dwellers Crawley on the weekend, meaning that Tuesday's visitors have collected only two points in their last six matches.

The Sulphurites took a one-goal advantage into the half-time break courtesy of George Thomson's 11th of the fourth-tier campaign, however Scott Lindsay's side improved markedly in the second period, with strikes from Harry Forster and Klaidi Lolos completing the turnaround.

After back-to-back 19th-placed finishes over the past two years, even optimistic Harrogate fans would not have expected a serious charge for promotion this season, however they could still earn a top-half finish, with Simon Weaver's men one point behind Bradford City in 12th.

Joining Harrogate in the summer of 2017 - when the club was readying itself for a National League North campaign - 31-year-old Thompson has enjoyed the meteoric rise at the Sulphurites over the past seven years, with the striker currently leading the goalscoring charts with 11 league strikes.

If the division was purely determined on away from, Weaver's troops would be challenging the likes of Wrexham at the head of the table, with the Harrogate collecting 29 points from 18 away matches in League Two this season - a tally only league leaders Mansfield Town (33) can better.

Wrexham League Two form:

W

D

L

D

W

W

Harrogate Town League Two form:

L

D

L

L

D

L

Team News

Having limited Morecambe to few openings in the dominant second-half performance, Wrexham should continue with a back three of William Boyle, Eoghan O'Connell and Max Cleworth on Tuesday night.

Former Sunderland marksman Fletcher could earn a starting berth after netting off the bench last time out, whilst ex-Derby County man Jack Marriott will also be pushing for a place in the XI.

Following a period on the sidelines due to a foot injury, defender Tom O'Connor has returned to first-team training and could feature in the coming fixtures.

After being substituted in the immediate aftermath of Crawley's equaliser, Stephen Dooley could drop to the bench at the expense of Jack Levi Sutton in Wales.

A host of players are pushing for Sulphurites starts on Tuesday night, including Josh March, Joe Mattock and Blackburn Rovers loanee Tom Bloxham.

Wrexham possible starting lineup:

Okonkwo; Barnett, Cleworth, O'Connell, Boyle, Mendy; McClean, Cannon, Lee; Fletcher, Mullin

Harrogate Town possible starting lineup:

Belshaw; Abu, O'Connor, Burrell, Foulds; Sutton, Cornelius, Thomson, Daly, Odoh; Muldoon

We say: Wrexham 4-1 Harrogate Town

Wrexham have found their stride once again in the League Two promotion race and will be confident of taking maximum points at home on Tuesday night.

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