Burton Albion have lost only one of their last five away games in League One ahead of their trip to play relegation rivals Blackpool.
Leyton Orient are hunting down a fifth win in a row when they travel to take on an out-of-sorts Exeter City at St. James’ Park.
Stockport have claimed 19 of the last 21 points on offer at home as they prepare to host AFC Wimbledon on Saturday.
With the international break affecting scheduling, there are only five matches from League One on the menu for Saturday, 28th March.
All five fixtures will kick off at the traditional time of 3 pm, with Blackpool’s tussle with Burton Albion, Reading’s meeting with Wigan and Stockport’s clash with AFC Wimbledon among the highlights.
As always, we’ve analysed each game to produce predictions for every League One fixture on Saturday and you can read our forecasts for the weekend below.
Blackpool vs Burton Albion (Saturday, 3:00 pm)
Blackpool showed plenty of resolve at the weekend when they dug in for a point on the road at promotion-chasing Cardiff (0-0). Ian Evatt’s side had to weather the storm for long periods in Wales, but despite conceding a mammoth 24 shots, the Seasiders managed to hold on for a draw.
Burton meanwhile, scored an impressive result of their own in their 2-1 victory over Bradford on Saturday to create a four-point buffer between themselves and the drop zone. Albion have also lost only once in five assignments on their travels and buoyed by their display against the Bantams, they should be a tough nut to crack again here.
Score prediction: Blackpool 1-1 Burton Albion
Exeter City vs Leyton Orient (Saturday, 3:00 pm)
Two sides at opposite ends of the form spectrum collide at St. James’ Park on Saturday when Exeter host Leyton Orient. City boss Matt Taylor said his team was “sleepwalking towards relegation” following Exeter’s 2-0 reverse to Wigan at the weekend. That was the Grecians’ fifth defeat on the spin.
In contrast, Leyton Orient are in the midst of a late-season surge. They took full advantage of an early red card for their opponents in a fine 2-0 triumph over Wycombe on Saturday to post a fourth successive win, while Orient have also won three of their last four tests on the road. Momentum is with the O’s in this one.
Score prediction: Exeter City 1-2 Leyton Orient
Reading vs Wigan Athletic (Saturday, 3:00 pm)
Reading limped to a 1-0 loss at Stevenage last weekend on what was an off day for the Royals. Their front four of Kamari Doyle, Will Keane, Randell Williams and Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan lodged just one shot on target between them in that loss, though that was just the second time in 11 fixtures where Reading blanked.
Wigan meanwhile, continue to improve under recent re-hire Gary Caldwell. They didn’t create much (8 shots), but still did enough to beat an out-of-sorts Exeter (2-0) at the weekend, and they’ve now lost only twice in eight matches since Caldwell was reinstated. Wigan have been defending well in recent weeks and they can lean on their solid foundations to hold Reading here.
Score prediction: Reading 1-1 Wigan Athletic
Stockport County vs AFC Wimbledon (Saturday, 3:00 pm)
Ollie Norwood’s late leveller earned Stockport a 1-1 draw at Luton last time out, though County’s playoff push is slowing and they’ve won only twice in their last eight attempts in League One. Most of their slipups have come on the road however, and at Edgeley Park, Stockport have won six and drawn one of their last seven games.
AFC Wimbledon were unfortunate to share the spoils with Peterborough (1-1) at the weekend, having rattled the woodwork twice. They might feel they are due better luck on Saturday, however the Dons have failed to win 80% of their last ten away matches in League One and might wilt again at Stockport.
Score prediction: Stockport County 2-1 AFC Wimbledon
Wycombe Wanderers vs Port Vale (Saturday, 3:00 pm)
Wycombe enjoyed a good run through February, though the wind has come out of their sails somewhat this month and their 2-0 defeat at Leyton Orient last weekend was their third loss in four assignments. Their latest setback was compounded by the early sending off of defender Taylor Allen, though Wanderers have a chance to reset on Saturday.
Visiting Port Vale have shown some spirit of late, though recent back-to-back losses on their travels at Blackpool (2-3) and Doncaster (0-1) have all but sealed the bottom club’s fate. Wycombe have won four of their last five contests at Adams Park and they can harness home advantage to good effect again here.
Score prediction: Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 Port Vale
