Lincoln City face a trip to London as they face a Leyton Orient side just two points behind the play-off places.
Michael Skubala’s men will be searching for their first win in three games after only managing to secure 1-1 draws in each of their previous two matches. The most recent came against bottom side Cambridge United, who came from behind to take a point away from the LNER Stadium.
The Imps go into the weekend in 12th position, nine points from play-off positions, a win at Brisbane Road potentially being vital if they are to finish inside the top six.
Opposition: Leyton Orient
The O’s finished 11th last season under current manager Richie Wellens. With standout performances from their top goalscorer Charlie Kelman and young loanee Jamie Donley, they look to gain promotion to the Championship for the first time.
Their recent league form has seen them take ten points in their last five games, notably beating Exeter 6-2, in which Scottish winger Azeem Abdulai got a hat-trick and an assist.
They most recently beat Mansfield Town, battling in Sky Bet League One just days after they crashed out of the FA Cup to Premier League giants Manchester City.
Team News:
The Imps will certainly be without January signing Joe Gardner after the attacking midfielder was shown a straight red card in the draw with Cambridge. Michael Skubala was “shocked” after the club’s decision to appeal the decision was unsuccessful.
On the injury front, Bailey Cadamarteri had a scan on Thursday, and it was revealed he was still quite a bit off, while more will be confirmed on his availability in the next week.
Ethan Erhahon will be out for between six to eight weeks, however Tom Hamer is back on the grass and in training according to the Imps head coach.
Tom Bayliss has been revealed to have suffered a tight hamstring and missed training for the first half of the week.
Head-to-Head:
The reverse fixture at the LNER Stadium saw both Jovon Makama and Freddie Draper score as Lincoln City won the game, 2-1.
Current Lincoln boss Michael Skubala’s first game in charge of the club was a 1-0 win over Leyton Orient, where Ethan Hamilton scoring late to secure an away victory.
They also beat Wellens’ side at home last season, thanks to a dramatic Makama winner, meaning Lincoln have won all the last three meetings between the two sides.
Overall, the two sides are very evenly matched, with both teams winning and losing 22 against each other while drawing the other 18 times.
Played for Both:
Former Lincoln City winger Theo Archibald joined Leyton Orient directly from the Imps, in 2022, after featuring just seven times across two years.
He has now played 103 times for the O’s, scoring 15 goals in that time.
Max Sanders is another player who made the switch from Lincoln to Orient. The midfielder was let go on a free transfer in 2023 after 57 appearances.
The London-based outfit then offered him a contract, as he went on to spend a year at the O’s before moving to Crewe Alexandra last summer.