Lincoln City will be looking to extend their six game unbeaten run as they welcome table-topping Wycombe Wanderers to the LNER stadium.
The Imps have bounced back well following their surprise 3-0 defeat on the road to Crawley Town, however now face perhaps their toughest test of the season so far.
Opposition: Wycombe Wanderers
The Chairboys come into the game on a 10-game unbeaten run, following their loss to Premier League side Aston Villa in the EFL Cup.
Wycombe’s loss to the Premier League outfit is the only time in their last 17 games they have tasted defeat, with their last eight games all reaping three points.
The visitors also have the goals to match their strong form, topping the table on goals scored, with a six-goal lead on Stockport County who themselves have found the net 26 times.
Team News:
Unfortunately for the Imps, wing-back Reeco Hackett returned from international duty with Saint Lucia with “a bit of a strain” so remains a doubt for this encounter, according to manager Michael Skubala.
Captain Paudie O’connor is yet to train following his half-time withdrawal in the draw with Exeter City.
However, on a more positive note, Erik Ring is fit to play with Adam Jackson nearing a return that is hoped to be in the midweek fixture away to Wrexham.
Head-to-head:
This is Wycombe’s 17th season at the third level of English football, with Imps currently serving their 40th at this level. That being said, meetings have been slightly few and far between.
Saturday will be the 22nd time that the two teams have faced off with Lincoln City winning seven of those encounters and earning a point from six of them. That does give the Chairboys an edge going into this one, having claimed victory on eight occasions.
However, the last of those victories came in August 2021, and the side have now failed to find victory at the LNER stadium in each of their last four attempts.
The last meeting between the two sides was in January of this year when the Imps needed an Ethan Erhahon goal in the eighth minute of added time to rescue a 1-1 draw away from home.
Played for Both:
The most notable name to have had a run out for both sides is newly appointed Shrewsbury Town manager Gareth Ainsworth.
Ainsworth featured 83 times for the Imps from 1995-97 before he joined Wycombe in 2009. He would feature as player-manager and later as a long-standing manager across a period of 24 years, before he departed for Queens Park Rangers.
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