Preview: Bradford City vs. Walsall - prediction, team news, lineups

Bradford City welcome Walsall to Valley Parade on Saturday for the sixth game of the developing League Two season.

The hosts are chasing promotion - whilst their opponents are looking over their shoulder at the relegation spots - but they come into the game on a run of two consecutive losses.

Match preview

After a very good start to the season had left them top of the table - with nine goals in their first four games - Bradford must ensure that the last two games represent a blip rather than the start of a decline.

First came a 2-0 loss away at Leyton Orient last weekend, where the Bantams were uncharacteristically sloppy and failed to deal with their opponents' physicality.

That was followed by a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Lincoln City in their first EFL Trophy Northern Group F fixture. Despite their current struggles in League One, the Imps proved to be too much for their hosts and their clinical finishing meant that the contest was over early in the second half.

The loss will be a blow to new manager Derek Adams, but promotion to the third tier remains the main focus and a win here could see them back at the summit if other results fall their way.

Walsall's form is almost the exact opposite of their upcoming opponents. Three losses in their first four games saw them sitting in the relegation zone, but an important win at the weekend could provide some momentum.

Conor Wilkinson scored his first goal for the Saddlers after five minutes of a home match against Stevenage, and it proved to be enough to claim the three points as they withstood late pressure from the visitors.

Since dropping down to League Two, the Saddlers have not come close to mounting a promotion charge to return to their former division, finishing 14th and 19th in the last two campaigns.

They already look unlikely to do so again this year but, if they can pull off an unlikely away win here, that would probably move them into mid-table and there is a very long way to go yet in this season.

It is also worth remembering that this is a wildly different squad to recent years, with 13 new players having arrived at the club over the summer to play under new head coach Matthew Taylor.

Team News

Bradford completed the deadline-day signing of striker Theo Robinson from Port Vale but the Walsall game will surely come too early for him to feature.

Oscar Threlkeld was finally fit to make his Bantams debut during the game against Lincoln on Tuesday, having recovered from an injury picked up after his move from Salford City.

Fiacre Kelleher also took to the field for the first time at his new club and Sam Hornby made a first appearance of the season between the sticks but will likely be replaced by Richard O'Donnell for this game.

Joss Labadie returned from injury for Walsall, taking the place of Sam Perry, while Manny Monthe was restored to the starting XI in place of Ash Taylor.

The Saddlers also made a deadline-day signing of their own, with forward George Miller joining on a season-long loan from Championship side Barnsley.

Bradford City possible starting lineup:
O'Donnell; Ridehalgh, Canavan, Kelleher, Foulds; Crankshaw, Songo'o, Vernam; Cooke, Cook, Gilliead

Walsall possible starting lineup:
Rushworth; White, Menayese, Monthe, Ward; Labadie, Kinsella; Phillips, Earing, Kiernan; Wilkinson

We say: Bradford City 2-0 Walsall

We are backing Bradford to return to winning ways against Walsall. They are likely to adopt an attack-minded approach for a fixture in which they have come out on top in three of the previous five meetings.

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