Carlisle host Northampton this afternoon.

Carlisle are 3rd in the standings, ties with Doncaster, but with a game in hand. The fight is big between these two for the second direct promotion spot, so the hosts will give their best for a victory tonight, as Doncaster seem to have a not-so-hard match against out-of-form Oldham. Carlisle have a 15-1-1 home record, with a 33-10 GD. They managed to put up a 13-game winning streak at home, even though most of these wins were by a one-goal margin, they are still wins, and it is very impressive. They are 4-1-0 in the last 5:

22.03.2008 ENG 3 Leyton O.-Carlisle 0:3

15.03.2008 ENG 3 Swindon-Carlisle 2:2

11.03.2008 ENG 3 Carlisle-Luton 2:1

08.03.2008 ENG 3 Carlisle-Brighton 2:0

03.03.2008 ENG 3 Nott. Forest-Carlisle 0:1

Northampton are 11th in the standings, 5 points below the playoff spots. Their away record is 5-6-8 with a 18-28 GD. Their last 5 results are:

21.03.2008 ENG 3 Northampton - Nott. Forest 1:2

15.03.2008 ENG 3 Northampton - Swansea 4:2

12.03.2008 ENG 3 Bristol R. - Northampton 1:1

08.03.2008 ENG 3 Walsall - Northampton 0:2

01.03.2008 ENG 3 Northampton - Crewe 0:0

After drawing against Crewe and Bristol R. and defeating Walsall away, Northampton had a nice match against Swansea, winning 4-2, but the leaders are not playing full interest as it is hard to believe they can lose the promotion from where they are sitting at this time. The last game was at home against Forrest. The visitors scored in the 9th minute, but they had a man sent off in the 20th. Northampton equalized after the 30th minute, but after an hour of being one-man down, The Forrest scored from a disputed penalty kick and won 2-1.

The first match in Northampton ended 2-2, but at home is where Carlisle are almost perfect, and i expect them to continue their streak today.

Carlisle midfielder Jeff Smith is back in contention after recovering from an ankle strain but is likely to have to settle for a place on the bench. Striker Joe Garner is close to a comeback from his knee injury but Paul Thirlwell (ankle) is three weeks away from a return to action.

Northamton's manager, Stuart Gray, has injury concerns regarding Chris Doig, Brett Johnson and Danny May. Mark Hughes returns from suspension and is set to replace Jason Crowe. Giles Coke is likely to come into midfield in place of Joe Burnell.

I believe Carlisle are more motivated today, and with their winning streak, i doubt the visitors will have a chance here tonight. Still, Carlisle have won the matches by tight scores most of the times, so because of this there is always the danger of a draw, but i believe the hosts will win it today. Good luck.

Pick : Carlisle -0.5
Odds : 1.78
Stake : 8 / 10
Bookmaker : Unibet
Date : 2008-03-24
Match Result : 2-0
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