Rotherham United will host Wrexham at the New York Stadium on Saturday, looking to extend their unbeaten streak to five games and climb the League One standings.
The hosts fell just short of a third consecutive away win at Peterborough United last weekend, as their opponents return from the recent international break in second place. Rotherham United will be looking to build on their recent improvement in League One.
After being relegated from the Championship last season, the South Yorkshire team set out to bounce back under the stewardship of Steve Evans this term, however following a four-game winless streak concluding in a 1-1 draw away to Shrewsbury
Town sat at the bottom of the division with just seven points from eight games. That disappointing draw, however, marked the start of an unbeaten streak for the Millers, as they went on to win their second and third games of the season in a row, defeating Cambridge United away with Sam Nombe scoring the only goal in injury time before defeating Reading 2-1 thanks to him and Hakeem Odoffin.
Then hoping to breach the top half with a third straight win, Evans’ side most recently visited Peterborough United on Saturday and appeared in a strong position as Nombe, Mallik Wilks, and Jonson Clarke-Harris had them 3-1 up at halftime, but they would eventually leave with a
Joe Rafferty’s own goal and Emmanuel Fernandez’s equalizer forced a 3-3 draw.
Rotherham United, who have recently gained confidence and momentum, will now try to make it five games unbeaten – including three triumphs – in league competition by winning at home on Saturday. They face a difficult test, however, with the visitors looking for their second consecutive win to boost their place in the automatic promotion spots.
Looking to build on their impressive growth following consecutive promotions to England’s third tier, Wrexham have had a strong start to the 2024-25 season, currently sitting second in League One with 20 points from their first ten games.
After a near-perfect start, winning four and drawing one of their first five games, Phil Parkinson’s side suffered their first two defeats in a tough spell, losing to Birmingham City and Stevenage either side of a victory over Crawley Town and a draw with Leyton Orient, before looking to rebound against Northampton Town before the international break.
The Red Dragons did so in style, defeating Wales 4-1. James McClean opened the scoring, Jack Marriott restored the lead, and Elliott Lee and McClean put the game out of reach in the second half.
Now returning to action in a strong position, only behind leaders Birmingham City by two points, Wrexham will look to pick
They picked up where they left off and extended their great start to the season by defeating a major opponent on Saturday. Steve Evans should deploy a similar Rotherham United starting XI to the one that drew with Peterborough United last Saturday, though striker Jonson Clarke-Harris may miss out due to an injury after scoring his side’s third goal.
If he misses out, Jordan Hugill should play alongside Sam Nombe, who has scored in each of the Millers’ previous three games.
They will have additional help from Mallik Wilks, who scored his second goal of the season last time out, while Joe Powell, Christ Tiehi, and Hakeem Odoffin should once again line up in front of
A back four.
If important defender Max Cleworth is sidelined with an injury, Wrexham could keep the same lineup as they did against Northampton Town before the break. Dan Scarr will once again play in the midst of the defence alongside Thomas O’Connor and Eoghan O’Connell, with James McClean and Ryan Barnett providing attacking assistance in wing-back positions.
At the other end of the pitch, Ollie Palmer and Jack Marriott, who leads the squad with five goals this season, will hope to continue their strike partnership despite stiff competition from Steven Fletcher and Paul Mullin, while Oliver Rathbone, who left Rotherham to join Wrexham in the summer, will hope to earn a starting spot in the engine. George Dobson and Andy Cannon have been preferred alongside Elliott Lee so far.
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