Walsall v Oldham preview

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Walsall have a fully-fit squad for their final home game of the season with Oldham.

Andy Taylor could return after Mal Benning was preferred at left-back for their 3-3 draw at Swindon on Tuesday, while Paul Downing was also rested.

The Saddlers are safe in Sky Bet League One, level on points with the visitors but have a better goal difference.

Boss Dean Smith has shot down any speculation linking him to the vacant Millwall job.

Conor Wilkinson is likely to miss Oldham’s trip.

The on-loan Bolton striker has returned to his parent club for treatment on a hamstring strain which could rule him out of Latics’ final two fixtures.

Midfielder Luke Woodland, a fellow Wanderers loanee, may be back involved, though, with boss Dean Holden running the rule over him at training on Thursday following a knock.

Top scorer Jonathan Forte (knee) and full-back Joseph Mills (hamstring) have had their seasons prematurely ended by injury.

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Walsall v Oldham preview

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Walsall continue to have a full-strength squad as they welcome Oldham knowing victory will take them into the top six in League One.

The Saddlers showed two changes for Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Tranmere with Ashley Hemmings and Craig Westcarr recalled by boss Dean Smith.

Troy Hewitt and James Baxendale will be hoping for recalls against the Latics for the first of two crucial home games in a week, with leaders Brentford the visitors to the Banks’s Stadium on Saturday.

Seventh-placed Walsall are currently just one point adrift of Peterborough while Swindon, a point behind the Saddlers in eighth, are also in action on Tuesday night.

Oldham manager Lee Johnson has a fully fit squad to select from for the trip to face Walsall at the Banks’s Stadium.

The Latics came through Saturday’s 1-0 win over Stevenage unscathed on the injury front, which could mean an unchanged line-up.

Forward Charlie MacDonald featured for the first time since the end of November as a late substitute and is set to take his place on the bench once more.

On-loan Rotherham midfielder David Worrall and defender Adam Lockwood are still waiting for their Oldham debuts.

Walsall v Oldham preview

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Walsall welcome back Febian Brandy from suspension.

Brandy missed the defeat against Colchester as he served a one-match ban for being sent-off against Bournemouth.

The five-goal striker had netted in both of the Saddlers’ games prior to his suspension and could return to the starting line-up as Dean Smith’s side look to bounce back from the loss.

Walsall have won six of their last eight games and are seven points off the play-off places.

Craig Westcarr is back in contention after re-joining the club. The striker made eight appearances during a loan spell earlier on in the season and has now signed a deal until the end of the campaign.

But defender Richard Taundry remains an injury doubt as he continues to struggle with an ankle injury.

Boss Paul Dickov boasts attacking reinforcements as Oldham look to turn around their dismal league form.

Latics stole the national headlines thanks to last weekend’s sensational FA Cup triumph over Liverpool but they return to the reality of a slump in form that has returned one point from eight games.

Two-goal hero Matt Smith (shoulder) and fellow forward Robbie Simpson (hamstring) suffered injuries against the Reds that rule them out this weekend, forcing Dickov into transfer deadline day action.

Southampton striker Lee Barnard, Watford forward Chris Iwelumo and Reading winger Jordan Obita all arrived on loan on a productive day at Boundary Park.

Dickov remains short in midfield, with Youssouf M’Changama added to the list of absentees after sustaining a serious medial knee ligament injury during the cup tie.

Skipper Dean Furman is on international duty with South Africa and Cristian Montano (thigh) remains sidelined, which could bring Carl Winchester into the reckoning following an impressive substitute appearance last weekend.

Connor Brown is expected to feature at right-back after the expiry of Reece Wabara’s loan deal and the Manchester City defender’s subsequent move to Blackpool.

Walsall v Oldham preview

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Claude Gnakpa will miss out for Walsall.

The midfielder was forced off after just eight minutes of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Notts County with a hamstring strain.

Alex Nicholls, who dropped to the bench against the Magpies only to come on to replace Gnakpa, could be recalled to the starting line-up.

Goalkeeper Jimmy Walker, who has played second fiddle to David Grof of late, missed out altogether at the weekend to be with his heavily pregnant partner. But following the birth of his son on Sunday, Walker is back in contention to face the Latics.

Striker Will Grigg will also be pushing to start having returned as a second-half substitute at Meadow Lane following his recent international commitments with Northern Ireland’s Under-21s.

Oldham boss Paul Dickov may be forced re-jig his defence.

Centre-half Zander Diamond is rated as extremely doubtful after he was replaced at half-time during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Dagenham because of a knee injury.

French left-back Bradley Diallo is still suspended following his straight red card against Huddersfield at the beginning of the month.

Midfielder David Mellor, a second-year trainee who was recently handed his first professional contract, may be asked to play in defence should Diamond not make it.

Filipe Morais, Dean Furman, Josh Parker and Paul Black will all again be absent, although Morais could be fit for Saturday’s trip to Leyton Orient.

Walsall v Oldham preview

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Dean Smith has no new injury or suspension concerns against Oldham for what is the first game of a crucial home double-header for Walsall this week.

Smith welcomed back goalkeeper Jimmy Walker (hamstring) and midfielder Richard Taundry (ankle) to his starting XI for Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Exeter.

And he could well name an unchanged side as the struggling Saddlers look for vital points against the Latics ahead of Saturday’s massive encounter at home to fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers.

Walsall still prop up the League One table – nine points and a considerable goal difference adrift of fifth-bottom Swindon – and positive reward from back-to-back games at the Banks’s Stadium would be a massive boost towards their survival ambitions.

On-loan midfielder Matt Gill is in line for his home debut having made his first outing against the Grecians at the weekend. Striker Darren Byfield remains the club’s only absentee as he battles to recover from his lengthy stint on the sidelines with a knee injury.

The Saddlers go into the game knowing they must sharpen up defensively if they are to turn their fortunes around having scored 10 goals but also conceded 18 in their previous seven games going back to mid-December’s 1-0 victory at Charlton – only the club’s second league clean sheet this season.

Oldham manager Paul Dickov will be without striker Warren Feeney for their trip to Walsall.

Feeney is absent with an ankle injury he sustained in the 2-1 home win over Brentford on Saturday which forced him to limp off in the second half and could be out for two weeks.

On-loan Preston centre-back Neal Trotman could be available despite going off with a tight hamstring 10 minutes from time at the weekend.

If Trotman fails to recover in time, Dickov has confirmed second-year scholar James Tarkowski, 18, who came on for Trotman to make his first appearance for the club, will start.

Dickov told the club’s official website: “Tarky came on and did ever so well winning headers and making blocks so let’s chuck him in.

“What’s the point having these young players in the squad if you are not going to give them a chance. We trust him. He is a good kid with a great attitude.”