A trip to the capital awaits this weekend for the Imps, as we take on red hot Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road, writes Darragh Tracy.
Leyton Orient Form
After winning League Two in 2023, Leyton Orient have enjoyed a successful 18 months in the third tier. The O’s kicked off their first campaign back in League One with a 1-0 defeat to local rivals Charlton, and Wellens’ side celebrated Christmas 12th in the league table. The run of form that followed saw Orient turn their attention to the Top 6, after an impressive eight-game unbeaten run. Unfortunately for the O’s, they missed out on the playoffs by eleven points, but all the foundations for a successful second season in League One were firmly in place.
Orient had a very tough start to the 24/25 campaign. The visits of pre-season promotion favourites Bolton and multi-million pound Birmingham City both concluded with losses. Trips to Charlton and Shrewsbury followed, but the O’s still couldn’t manage to get points on the board. However, the mood never hit rock bottom at Brisbane Road, as there were glimpses of quality shown in three of these four losses. Ever since, these qualities have begun to shine through for the O’s in their matches.
An emphatic 4-1 win against Stockport and a 1-0 win against Reading proved that the O’s would eventually steer clear of the relegation zone, but from this point up until the start of December, Leyton Orient were just far too inconsistent.
Ever since Richie Wellens’ side has been on brilliant run of form, and at New Year’s, the O’s were in touching distance of the playoffs. During this time, the North London outfit also embarked on an FA Cup run, where goalkeeper Josh Keeley was at the forefront of their success after a goal and three penalty saves.
Orient will come into this one off the back of a money-spinning FA Cup tie with Manchester City. The O’s led 1-0 at half-time thanks to Jamie Donley’s wonder strike, but unfortunately ended up losing the game 2-1. In their last league outing, Leyton Orient dispatched Mansfield Town 3-0, with all the goals coming in the first half.
Leyton Orient Tactics
A Leyton Orient side this season has most commonly lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with the aim of taking the game to the opponent and controlling the ball in their half. They often keep a consistent first eleven but with new signings likely to be incorporated tomorrow, Orient’s predicted starting XI is this: GK: Keeley – RB – Galbraith – RCB – Edmonds Green – LCB – Happe – LB – Currie – LDM – Brown – RDM – Pratley – LW – Williams – CAM – Donley – RW – Markanday – ST – Kelman
Leyton Orient are very strong in many areas on the field, particularly in attack. They excel at shooting from direct free kicks and are often very clinical. The O’s players create opportunities off the back of individual brilliance in most games, and on the defensive side, they are also solid at defending set pieces and protecting their lead.
Match Referee
REFEREE: Matt Corlett
Linesmen: Ross Murphy and Stephen Brown
Fourth Official: Harry Wager
In the 24/25 season, Matt Corlett has refereed 18 competitive fixtures, with seven being in League One. Corlett has handed out a total of 113 yellow cards this season, averaging roughly six per game. The official for tomorrow’s fixture has only handed out four red cards this season, all in League Two. Corlett has never overseen the Imps in a league fixture, but he was the fourth official in City’s 1-0 loss against Wrexham at the Racecourse ground earlier on in the season.
Previous Meetings
After winning this exact fixture when it was last played in November 2023 1-0, City will be looking to win successive away games against Leyton Orient for the first time in the EFL. The Imps have won each of their last three league games against Leyton Orient, our best run against the London outfit in the club’s history.
The last time the two sides met Freddie Draper and Jovon Makama both netted their first goals of the 2024/25 campaign, as the Imps defeated the O’s 2-1 at Sincil Bank back in September.
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