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

Bradford City will look to stretch their league unbeaten run to four games on Saturday, when they welcome Crawley Town to Valley Parade.

The Bantams have climbed back to 11th spot in the League Two table thanks to two victories from their last three games, while their visitors have dropped to 15th place after consecutive defeats.

Match preview

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After the appointment of Derek Adams as manager over the summer, Bradford City set their sights on winning promotion from the fourth tier this season, and they began in style before hitting a run of inconsistency.

After picking up just two wins from a span of 17 league games between August and December, the Yorkshire outfit sat in an unenviable position in their pursuit of a top-seven spot, but Adams's side appear to have re-discovered their form recently.

Following a 2-1 away win over Barrow, the Bantams fell to a disappointing defeat at the hands of Carlisle United, but they bounced back by beating fellow promotion-chasers Salford City 2-1 thanks to Paudie O'Connor's 85th-minute winner.

After a goalless draw with Rochdale, the Valley Parade outfit made it three wins from their last five games on Tuesday, as Andy Cook sealed a 2-1 away victory over Walsall by converting a penalty in the dying minutes.

As a result, the Bantams have remained within five points of the top seven despite their underwhelming first half of the campaign, and Adams will know that his side can still meet their aim of earning a playoff place if they can continue their stronger run of form.

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Crawley Town, on the other hand to their hosts, established themselves in the playoff hunt with an impressive start to the campaign.

After three straight league victories, the Reds sat on an impressive tally of 31 points from 22 outings, but their form has since taken a slight dip.

The three-game run was broken by a 1-1 draw with Carlisle United, as they were pegged back in the 93rd minute, before John Yems's side suffered back-to-back defeats heading into Saturday.

They first left Stevenage empty-handed after a 2-1 defeat, despite Tom Nichols's equaliser, before the Reds were beaten 1-0 by promotion-chasing Tranmere Rovers on home turf on Saturday courtesy of a Jay Spearing goal.

Following their recent struggles, Yems's side have dropped below Saturday's opponents and down to 15th spot in the League Two table, but given how tight the division is, they could move as high as 12th and within a point of Bradford with a victory at Valley Parade.

Team News

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Abo Eisa should continue to be the only absentee for Bradford due to an injury, with the winger having only featured three times since his summer move from Scunthorpe United.

Andy Cook will lead the line with renewed confidence, having taken his tally to eight goals in 19 league appearances with his late winner last time out.

He will be supported by Jamie Walker, who arrived on loan from Heart of Midlothian in the January transfer window.

Crawley's attack will again be spearheaded by experienced campaigner Tom Nichols, who has netted four league goals so far this term.

Elsewhere, Yems should again deploy a back three, with Jordan Tunnicliffe, Tony Craig and Joel Lynch all expected to keep their starting spots.

Bradford City possible starting lineup:
Bass; Threlkeld, O'Connor, Canavan, Ridehalgh; Cooke, Songo'o; Gilliead, Walker, Daly; Cook

Crawley Town possible starting lineup:
Morris; Tunnicliffe, Craig, Lynch; Davies, Francomb, Powell, Tsaroulla; Mathews, Nichols, Tilley

We say: Bradford City 2-0 Crawley Town

Given their recent improvement and the struggles of their visitors, we fancy Bradford to get over the line on home turf on Saturday.

The Bantams will still have their sights set on climbing towards the playoffs, and Adams will be desperate to see his side put another notch in their wins column as favourites.

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