Lincoln City will host Hartlepool United at Sincil Bank for their FA Cup second-round encounter on Saturday.
The host took a 1-0 victory over Bowers & Pitsea in the first round, while Hartlepool United beat Wycombe Wanderers 1-0 away in a replay, after drawing 2-2 initially at home.
Lincoln increased their winless run in all competitions to four matches when they lost 4-3 in penalty shootouts with Carlisle United in the second round of the EFL Trophy, after drawing 1-1 at the end of extra time.
Michael Appleton will not impressed having not progressed furthur in the competition, but will hope his side will come up better against another fourth-tier opponent this weekend.
Lincoln’s last loss to Hartlepool was in their meeting in October 2007 where they lost 5-2 at home in the EFL Trophy.
The two teams last met in the FA Cup in November 2004, where Hartlepool won, securing a 3-0 victory in the first round at Victoria Park.
Lincoln have not progressed to the third round of the FA Cup in each of their last two seasons, meaning, they will try to get a victory on Saturday.
Hartlepool United have appointed their former player Graeme Lee as their new manager, after head coach Dave Challinor moved to Stockport County last month, with Michael Nelson joining as his assistant coach.
After Lee’s appointment, they were able to get a surprise victory in the second round of the EFL Trophy, beating League One team Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 at Hillsborough on Wednesday. That victory ended a run of three successive loses for Hartlepool.
After drawing 2-2 with Wycombe Wanderers in the first round, they managed to pick a narrow 1-0 win in the replay at Adams Park, and will now be looking to get to the third round for the second time in three years.
Lincoln City vs Hartlepool United head to head
The two clubs have previously met in 20 occassions across all competitions, with Lincoln winning 6 matches while Hartlepool have won 9, and they have drawn nine. Hartlepool won in their last FA Cup encounter in 2004. In their last five meetings, they won in two each with one draw.
Lincoln City 3-0 Hartlepool United 04/03/03
Hartlepool United 3-0 Lincoln City 13/11/04
Lincoln City 2-0 Hartlepool United 06/10/06
Hartlepool United 1-1 Lincoln City 09/03/07
Lincoln City 2-5 Hartlepool United 09/10/07
Lincoln City latest home form
Lincoln City have most recently been on the losing end of form at home, having lost their last two matches in the League One. In their last five they managed to win just one, drawn one and lost three. That one victory is however in the FA Cup that they are going to play in.
Lincoln City 0-1 AFC Wimbledon 19/10/21
Lincoln City 1-1 Shrewsbury Town 30/10/21
Lincoln City 1-0 Bowers & Pitsea 06/11/21
Lincoln City 0-3 Portsmouth 23/11/21
Lincoln City 0-1 Accrington Stanley 27/11/21
Lincoln City latest away form
They lost their last away match to Carlisle United in the penalty shootouts after drawing 1-1 in the EFL Trophy. They had however performed relatively well prior to that, having won once and drawn twice. In their last five away fixtures, they have won one, drawn two and lost two.
Morecambe 2-0 Lincoln City 28/09/21
Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Lincoln City 23/10/21
Wigan Athletic 1-2 Lincoln City 26/10/21
Doncaster Rovers 0-0 Lincoln City 20/11/21
Carlisle United (p)1-1 Lincoln City 30/11/21
Hartlepool United latest home form
Hartlepool seem to be on a downturn of form at home, as they have failed to get a victory in their last three matches, drawing one and losing the last two. Their last win was on November 2nd, 1-0 over Everton U21 in the EFL Trophy. They have won just two of their last five.
Hartlepool United 3-2 Harrogate Town 23/10/21
Hartlepool United 1-0 Everton U21 02/11/21
Hartlepool United 2-2 Wycombe Wanderers 06/11/21
Hartlepool United 1-2 Newport County 12/1121
Hartlepool United 1-3 Forest Green Rovers 20/11/21
Hartlepool United latest away form
With their most recent performance, we could say that Hartlepool seem to have bounced back into good form on the road. They took an impressive 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Trophy. In their last five away, they have won two and lost three.
Leyton Orient 5-0 Hartlepool United 30/10/21
Wycombe Wanderers 0-1 Hartlepool United 16/11/21
Swindon Town 3-1 Hartlepool United 23/11/21
Port Vale 2-0 Hartlepool United 27/11/21
Sheffield Wednesday 0-3 Hartlepool United 01/12/21
Lincoln City news
Liam Bridcutt, Joe Walsh, Anthony Scully and Tom Hopper are doubtful through injuries and will undergo assessment before the kickoff.
Loanee Dan N’Lundulu would lead the line as the central stricker with the support of Lewis Florini and Chris Maguire. Max Sanders and Cohen Bramall are likely to be benched in the start.
Hartlepool United news
Forward Tyler Burey has been out since September with a hamstring injury and will remain out of the squad at the weekend. Strikers Mark Cullen and Luke Molyneux, who have both not scored in each of their last five matches, would lead up front in Burey’s absence.
Prediction and Odds
Lincoln have been out of form in the recent weeks, which could affect them, but we could see them get confident playing at home.
Hartlepool United will be coming into the game with confiedence after their last performance, making this one a highly competitive game. So, we could predict a draw or home win here.
Odds: 1 1.67 X 2.01 2 3.21
Probable outcomes
Lincoln City 1-0 Hartlepool United
Lincoln City 2-1 Hartlepool United
Lincoln City 1-1 Hartlepool United
Lincoln City 2-2 Hartlepool United
Lincoln City 1-2 Hartlepool United
