Morecambe will welcome Crewe Alexandra to the Mazuma Stadium in a battle at the bottom of the League One table.
Both sides currently occupy a position in the relegation zone, with Crewe rooted to the foot of the division and Morecambe sitting two points from safety.
Match preview
© Reuters
Winners of the 2020-21 League Two playoff final, Morecambe were promoted to the third tier of English football for the first time in their history.
Continuing their meteoric rise through the English football pyramid, Morecambe have never suffered relegation in their history and will be hoping to maintain that record this season.
If they are to achieve their dream of survival, the Shrimps will have to improve on a record of one win from their last 12 League One outings – form that has seen the club slip towards the relegation zone.
Optimism may be found in the fact that Morecambe have fared better at home this season, collecting 13 points at the Mazuma Stadium, compared to seven when playing on the road.
However, that is where the good news for the hosts stops, as Morecambe have won only one match against Crewe in the previous nine attempts stretching back to November 2016.
Granted, that one victory did come in the pair's first meeting this season, but bottom-placed Crewe will be hoping that the history books are once again in their favour this week.
Crewe themselves have looked out their depth at times this season, registering only three wins from their 22 matches so far.
Currently seven points adrift at the foot of the division, a return to the fourth tier looks likely for the Cheshire-based club unless they can turn their form around.
- W
- D
- L
- L
- L
- D
- D
- L
- W
- L
- L
- D
- L
- W
- L
- L
- W
- L
- W
- L
- L
- W
- W
- L
Team News
© Reuters
After making six appearances during his loan spell, Benjamin Knight returned to parent club Manchester City to complete his rehabilitation programme, following an injury.
Zac Williams is the only other injury concern for the visitors, who will be hoping that the 18-day break inbetween matches does not affect them too much.
For Morecambe, Scott Wootton was forced off with injury during their recent clash against Portsmouth, yet the defender should make a return to the squad for the clash with Crewe.
The same cannot be said for Ryan Delaney, who will join Freddie Price for a prolonged spell in the treatment room.
Attacking threat will come in the shape of Cole Stockton, whose 13 goals for the campaign sees him lead the way at the top of the League One scorers chart.
Morecambe possible starting lineup:
Letheren; Cooney, McLaughlin, O'Connor, Gibson, Leigh; Phillips, McCalmont, Mcloughlin; Obika, Stockton
Crewe Alexandra possible starting lineup:
Richards; Ainley, Offord, Sass-Davies, Williams, Adebisi; Lowery, Robertson, Finney; Porter, Griffiths
We say: Morecambe 2-0 Crewe Alexandra
Neither side can afford any more slip-ups if they wish to retain their position in the league, especially Crewe whose future looks bleak heading into 2022.
With the backing of home support, we expect Morecambe to just about edge this one.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Morecambe win with a probability of 48.23%. A draw had a probability of 26.3% and a win for Crewe Alexandra had a probability of 25.48%.
The most likely scoreline for a Morecambe win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.53%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.22%) and 2-1 (9.14%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.43%), while for a Crewe Alexandra win it was 0-1 (8.45%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 6.2% likelihood.
