Bradford City vs Accrington Stanley. Sky Bet League One.
University of Bradford StadiumAttendance16,318.
Monday 31 December 2018 12:37, UK
Bradford pair Hope Akpan and Luca Colville are aiming to return to action in the home Sky Bet League One game against Accrington.
Midfielder Akpan was rested for Saturday's 4-0 win at Rochdale and may have to bide his time before forcing his way back into the starting line-up.
Teenage midfielder Colville has missed the last four matches having last appeared in the FA Cup replay defeat to Peterborough earlier this month. The versatile Kelvin Mellor has been ruled out until mid-January after being sidelined for three games due to a knee injury, while winger Sean Scannell is recovering from a hairline fracture in his back.
Accrington boss John Coleman will check on midfielder Seamus Conneely. Conneely was withdrawn early in the second half in Saturday's heavy home defeat to Peterborough having returned to the starting line-up after recovering from a knock.
Forwards Connor Hall and Offrande Zanzala are among those pushing for recalls to the starting line-up. Striker Andy Mangan, sidelined through injury since October, remains unavailable.
Bradford have only won one of their last 12 meetings with Accrington Stanley in all competitions (D6 L5), a 2-1 victory in League Two on Boxing Day in 2012.
Both teams have scored in each of the last five league meetings between Bradford and Accrington at Valley Parade, with four of those finishing 1-1 and the other a 2-1 win for the Bantams in 2012-13.
In all competitions, Bradford have scored 2+ goals in each of their last four home matches (12 total - W3 D1), their best such run of scoring at Valley Parade since September 2013, when they scored two or more in six straight home matches.
Accrington are looking for back-to-back away wins in all competitions for the first time since April last season (four straight wins).
This will be Bradford's first home league match on New Year's Day since 1994, when they beat Wrexham 1-0 in the third tier.
