Football Bet of the Day: Stevenage can reignite play-off hopes at Carlisle

England's top two divisions are on hiatus for a few more days because of the ongoing international break, but the games continue to come thick and fast lower down the football pyramid. League One play-off hopefuls Stevenage are involved in one of only three matches in the third tier on Saturday, and they will be looking to get their promotion charge back on track with victory away to ailing Carlisle United.

Boro are without a win in four league fixtures, suffering back-to-back defeats to fellow play-off hopefuls Peterborough and Leyton Orient in their last two outings, but they have generally performed well on the road this season which should put them in good stead on their visit to Cumbria, which features in our Football Bet of the Day for Saturday.

Carlisle have accrued just 23 points in an utterly miserable campaign and they find themselves 16 points adrift of safety after losing 12 of their last 13 league outings.

Time is running out for the Cumbrians to kick-start a survival bid and they could be pushed further towards the trap door with defeat on Saturday.

Meanwhile, after leading Stevenage to promotion from League Two last season, Steve Evans is once again working wonders in Hertfordshire.

With only eight games remaining Boro remain in the shake-up for a play-off berth as they attempt to secure Championship football for the first time in the club’s history.

However, their recent dip in form has seen them drop to eighth in the table and two points adrift of Oxford United in sixth, albeit Stevenage do have a game in hand over the U's.

And with Oxford not in action this weekend Stevenage appear to have a golden chance to replace them in the top six when they travel to basement boys Carlisle.

Carlisle have been abject for the most of the season. They have picked up just 14 points at the Brunton Park base this season - the worst home haul of any side in the EFL - and their goals-against total of 67 is the worst in League One.

Things have not been much better at the other end of the pitch, either, as only Shrewsbury Town and Cheltenham have scored fewer goals in the third tier than Carlisle's 33.

It's been a season to forget for the Cumbrians and the manner of some of their 12 defeats in 2024 will be of real cause for concern for manager Paul Simpson, who has seen his side take the lead in five of those dozen defeats.

Stevenage should therefore be extremely confident that they can inject some impetus into their play-off push with an away success, and it could be achieved with a clean sheet.

Boro had registered four shutouts in succession prior to losing their last two outings but they could rediscover their solid ways in Cumbria on Saturday.

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