Carlisle United vs Lincoln City. Sky Bet League Two.
Brunton ParkAttendance6,819.
Thursday 18 April 2019 15:43, UK
Carlisle boss Steven Pressley has a number of fitness concerns to contend with as his side seek to put Lincoln's Sky Bet League Two title celebrations on hold.
Pressley expressed disappointment at his side's performance in Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Stevenage but admits he will have to make a late call on a number of players ahead of Friday's clash.
Danny Grainger, Jamie Devitt and Kelvin Etuhu will all be assessed on Thursday before being considered, while Mike Jones is available again following a ban. Carlisle are four points adrift of the play-off places with four matches to play.
A win for Lincoln would be enough to guarantee them top spot, having sealed promotion in a 1-1 draw with Cheltenham on Saturday. Midfielder Bruno Andrade lasted only 53 minutes after undergoing injections to manage ankle and shin injuries in the build-up, although he was able to celebrate with his team-mates after the final whistle.
Winger Danny Rowe, who had been struggling with a knee issue beforehand, came on for Andrade during that fixture. Lincoln are looking to be crowned fourth-tier champions for the first time since 1976.
Carlisle have won just two of their last 14 league meetings with Lincoln (D5 L7), winning 1-0 in August 2002 and 1-0 in March 2006.
Lincoln have won three of their last four away league games against Carlisle (L1), including a 1-0 victory in this exact fixture last season.
Carlisle have conceded in each of their last 12 League Two games, the longest current run without a clean sheet in the division.
Lincoln have scored in each of their last 26 league games and are unbeaten in their last 19 - both the longest current runs in League Two.
Lincoln's shot conversion rate of 16.9% is currently the highest across the top four tiers of English Football this season, scoring 73 goals from 432 attempts.
