Wrexham travel to in-form Grimsby Town on Saturday aiming to bounce back from their recent poor results.
The League Two table looks deceiving as Wrexham travel to Lincolnshire to take on Grimsby tomorrow afternoon, as while the Mariners are in 21st position, they are unbeaten in their last six matches.
David Artell’s men have dragged themselves away from the division’s bottom two, creating a six-point gap between them and 23rd-place Forest Green.
While Grimsby appear to be on the up, Wrexham’s recent slump in form has been alarming. The Reds were held to a goalless draw against Harrogate Town and lost to Tranmere Rovers last Saturday.
Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson will be without James McClean for this clash as he serves the final game of his two-match suspension while Thomas O’Connor and Jack Marriott are in contention to start after starring in the reserves thumping of Salford City on Tuesday.
In terms of injuries, Parkinson revealed that Ryan Barnett’s injury looks “serious” and he could miss the trip to Lincolnshire while George Evans and James Jones are still out, although Evans did return to grass last week.
Here is our predicted line-up for the clash against Grimsby…
Wrexham predicted XI vs Grimsby Town
Wrexham were boosted by the news that Arsenal are willing to let Arthur Okonkwo depart the Emirates Stadium this summer with the 22-year-old keeping his place in between the sticks.
Parkinson may be tempted to throw O’Connor into the back three but with Eoghan O’Connell, Max Cleworth and Will Boyle all performing well, the Irishman will need to be patient for a start in defence.
Barnett’s potential absence has opened the door for Luke Bolton to start at right wing-back.
Hailed as a “threat” by Parkinson, the 24-year-old will look to cause problems with his pace down the wing along with Jacob Mendy on the opposite flank, who is enjoying a long run in the side.
One of Wrexham’s biggest issues is in the engine room, as he’s missing McClean, arguably the Reds’ most influential player.
Parkinson lined up with a midfield three of Luke Young, Andy Cannon and Elliot Lee against Tranmere, but he may be tempted to drop Young and start O’Connor following his return from injury.
Paul Mullin‘s inclusion in the starting XI needs no introduction, however, the second striker spot is up for debate. Marriott scored a hat-trick in midweek while Steven Fletcher was poor last weekend.
Ollie Palmer was perhaps unfortunate to lose his place and could return to the side, although Marriott does have a strong case to start following his heroics against Salford Reserves.