League 2 
The pressure cooker intensifies at Gander Green Lane this Saturday, as relegation-threatened Sutton United lock horns with fellow strugglers Grimsby Town in a crucial League Two encounter.
Both sides find themselves mired in the bottom half of the table, desperate for points to avoid the dreaded drop into non-league.
Sutton United currently occupy 24th place, the deepest depths of the League Two relegation zone. Their recent form offers a mixed picture, with a 1-0 defeat against Tranmere Rovers following their thrilling 4-3 victory over Notts County.
This inconsistency highlights their struggles to find sustained momentum, with a winless run of five games prior to their recent win.
Grimsby Town find themselves just above the relegation zone in 21st place, but their situation is far from comfortable. Their last outing saw them share the spoils in a frustrating 0-0 draw against Wimbledon.
In their last league outing, Grimsby Town played out a goalless draw at Wimbledon at Blundell Park. Both sides had chances to win, but ultimately, a resolute defensive display from both sides ensured the points were shared.
Despite flashes of attacking creativity, Grimsby have struggled defensively, conceding 60 goals,one of the worst defensive records in the league.
Grimsby Town and Sutton United are two clubs with a rich history in English football, but their rivalry is relatively young. The two sides have only met on three occasions in the Football League, with both meetings occurring during the 2022/23 and 23/24 League Two campaign’s.
All three meetings of the teams have been tight matchups and were devoid of many chances. The first meeting between the clubs was last August, which ended in a deadlock as neither side was able to penetrate the opposition’s defence.
In the reverse fixture the points were shared as the game finished 1-1. Rekeil Pyke grabbed Grimsby's opener after 20 minutes, with Sutton's Harry Smith also on target in the first half.
It is Sutton who come into this weekend as home favourites at the bookies and they are currently priced @ 13/10, whilst an away win for Grimsby Town is priced @ 19/10 and a draw is @ 23/10.
We are backing under 1.5 goals because this fixture has proven to be a low scoring affair. In all three meetings between the two sides, there have only been a total of 3 goals, an average of a goal each game.
Furthermore, these two sides have some of the worst goal scoring records in the League, with Sutton having the 2nd worst, having only scored 40 goals and Grimsby having netted just 60. We believe that this will be a tight game devoid of many chances as both sides desperately require a win.