League 2 
This Saturday, the Colchester Community Stadium becomes the battleground for contrasting goals as Colchester United lock horns with Walsall in a League Two clash.
The hosts currently find themselves in 23rd position in the League two table and are locked in a desperate fight for survival. Following Forest Green’s win during the week, Colchester are now inside the relegation places and are one point beneath safety.
The U’s come into this weekend following a terrible run of form which has seen them go without a win in their last six league outings. A lack of goals has been particularly worrying for Colchester as they have only scored three times in their last five league outings.
When they were last in action, Colchester were defeated 2-0 by Barrow. Kian Spence scored in first-half stoppage-time and Sam Foley in added-time in the second half as Barrow boosted their League Two promotion hopes with a win over struggling Colchester.
In contrast to Colchester, the visitors have their sights set firmly on a playoff push and are currently sitting in 8th position in the League Two table. Walsall have gained 54 points from their 36 league games and are just one point beneath the playoff places.
Walsall come into this weekend on the back of a good run of form which has seen them lose just one of their last eight league outings. This run has included impressive victories over Mansfield, Doncaster and Morecambe.
The Saddlers were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw when they faced Barrow on Tuesday evening. Rollin Menayese marked his first league appearance for Walsall in almost two years with a goal.
The defender, who was recalled from his loan at Aldershot, headed home Taylor Allen’s corner but was also involved in the Bluebirds’ leveller as he conceded the penalty which Dean Campbell converted.
The rivalry between Colchester United and Walsall stretches back decades, with their first encounter dating all the way back to 1950 in the old Division Three. Across 75 meetings, the two sides are remarkably well-matched. Walsall hold a slight edge with 27 victories to Colchester's 25, but draws have been frequent throughout their history.
Walsall have dominated the recent history of this fixture and have only lost one of the last twelve meetings between the two sides, a run which stretches back to 2014. In recent years, there have been many draws in this fixture, with five of the last eight meetings resulting in a draw.
The Saddlers recorded a 1-0 victory when these sides met each other earlier on in the campaign in the reverse fixture. An impressive finish from Issac Hutchinson was enough to see the Saddlers earn all three points as well as a clean sheet.
These sides are very evenly matched at the bookies ahead of this weekend, however it is Walsall who are narrowly favoured and are currently priced @ 29/10, whilst a home win for Colchester is currently priced @ 13/8.
We are backing Walsall to win and under 2.5 goals because this fixture has often resulted in low scoring cagey affairs in recent years. All three of the last meetings between these two sides have resulted in under 2.5 goals and we believe that Walsall are likely victors as they have the much better league form heading into this weekend.