Tonight could be coronation day for Lincoln City as they need just a point against Doncaster Rovers to move out of reach of Cardiff City and be crowned champions of SkyBet League One.
This comes after the Imps left the Stevenage FC Stadium with a point on Saturday following a 2-2 draw that saw Tendayi Darikwa score his fifth of the season and substitute Rob Street save the day, levelling the game in stoppage time.
The 24-year-olds late goal also saw City maintain their incredible unbeaten run, which has now been extended to 26 matches.
Michael Skubala’s side currently sit on 94 points, needing two wins from their last three matches to become centurions in the league, which would break their record points total as a club that was set in the 2016/17 season when they won the National League.
Opponents: Doncaster Rovers
To be named as league champions, Lincoln will first have to defeat Doncaster at the Eco-Power Stadium.
Grant McCann’s side currently sit 14th in the league, sitting eight points clear of the drop zone in their first season back in the third tier of English football after winning the SkyBet League Two title last time out.
The South Yorkshire outfit come into the game against City on good form, managing to pick up wins in both of their last two outings against both Reading and Northampton Town.
One player to keep an eye on will be Newcastle United academy graduate Owen Bailey as the attacking midfielder has netted 14 league goals so far this season on top of assisting on four occasions.
Team News
The Imps made just one change to the side between their Monday game and Saturday’s, with the seemingly injury Ivan Varfolomeev returning to the starting 11 just five days after he had to drop out of the squad for Tom Bayliss.
Head Coach Michael Skubala delivered a brief update on the shape of the team following the 2-2 draw with Stevenage at the weekend.
He said: “Yeah a few knocks and bruises because that was the type of game as well. It was always going to be a physically competitive game, lots going on with both boxes.
“Like you say also getting towards the end of the season so we try to manage everything best we can, from the medical team to the sports science teams, coaching staff – everything’s integrated so that we can look after the players as we get towards the final games of the season.”
Last week Skubala spoke on Freddie Draper, Joshua Honohan, and Adam Jackson, saying they were touch and go in terms of whether they will feature again this season.
However, no update was given on either Oscar Thorn or James Collins who remain out with their respective injuries.
Head-to-head
The last time the two sides met was in November at the LNER Stadium where hosts Lincoln City secured a narrow 2-1 win.
Former City loanee Frankie Okoronkwo opened the scoring before substitute Brandon Hanlon equalised with 20 minutes left to play.
However, immediately after getting level, an own goal from former City loanee, Robbie Gotts, saw the Imps retake the lead and secure all three points.
Overall the two sides have locked horns on a whopping 121 occasions in their existence, with EFL Championship bound Lincoln City winning on 49 occasions compared to Doncaster’s 40.