- Team form: Notts County have won 1 and tied 4 of their last 5 games, and have drawn their last 2 in a row.
- Recent form: Bradford City have won 3 and lost 2 of their last 5 matches, losing 1-2 to Cambridge United at home before beating Mansfield Town 1-0 at home.
Notts County and Bradford City are having good starts to the campaign
Standings and form
Notts County currently sit 12th in the League One 2026/2027 table with 7 points from 5 games, while Bradford City are 4th with 9 points from 5 matches. The form for both sides has been solid for the most part, although the visitors have been a bit more flamboyant at times, while Notts have been more pragmatic and workmanlike.
Notts County tactical setup
Martin Paterson has been in charge at Notts County since 22 June 2025 and the Magpies set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, which allows them to play quite narrow and structured, but also to counter-press and break with tempo when necessary. Paterson has been good for the club so far, and the side have been tidy and resolute in their recent outings, beating Burton Albion 2-1 at home, before back-to-back 1-1 draws on the road against Doncaster Rovers and Huddersfield Town.
Bradford City style
Graham Alexander has been in charge of The Bantams since 6 November 2023, and his team have remained quite a bold, direct and high-pressing side, which has certainly suited the talents of their players. Bradford have been punchy and have lost points they shouldn't, but they have also flashed quality when it counts, and their style of play means that they are never far from turning a game end to end.
Bradford are a bit short, Notts will nick it
Bradford City are the slight favourites for this clash, which comes in at 2.13, compared to Notts County at 3.24, with the tie price coming in at 3.2. Bradford's odds seem just a little short given that Notts County have won 2 of the last 3 encounters between the clubs, with 1 draw and 0 wins for The Bantams.
The 1-1 draw at Bradford's ground is the most likely result here, as the head-to-head edge Notts County have is real, and the market doesn't seem to be giving enough respect to Notts County's unbeaten home record in the new league campaign and the fact that Bradford have failed to win in their last 2 away games vs The Magpies.
Game of turnovers and wing-backs
Tactical overview
This game should be a duel of turnovers and battles in the wing-back positions as Bradford try to turn it into end-to-end havoc and Notts look to control it.
- Oliver Cooper is Notts County's main spark, he leads their goalscoring charts with 3 goals in 5 League One 2026/2027 appearances and has 3 of the team's last 6, he can make things happen when he gets the ball in space, usually from a turnover, thanks to his team's compact nature and the work of the wing-players who counter-press and harry the ball with him.
- Aden Baldwin is Bradford City's top scorer in League One 2026/2027 with 1 goal in 5 games, however, he's their most direct and dangerous player from deep, so he could be a threat from behind the front two on Saturday.
- Bradford's tempo comes through the wing-backs and front line together, so they can flip the game in seconds from defence to attack in a way that most teams can't.
