- Fleetwood Town have drawn their last 4 matches in a row (2-2 at Shrewsbury Town, 1-1 with Milton Keynes Dons and 1-1 with Bolton Wanderers).
- Chesterfield have won 5, drawn 4 and lost just 1 of their last 10 in all competitions.
Fleetwood have been drawing all over the place
The odds are hard to argue with here as Fleetwood come in as slight outsider at 91/50, but Chesterfield's away form just edges them out in the selection with the Spireites at 69/50 and the draw at 12/5. It really should be close and the hosts have become a stubborn bunch under Matt Lawlor since his appointment as manager on 26 January 2026.
Town are unbeaten in three home games, drawing their last three at Highbury, which is part of the reason why the draw is live here. The Cod Army will be solid in the middle of the park and with a back four keeping compact, Lawlor will feel his team can stay in the game for long periods before pushing forward and trying to punish any over-extension.
But Chesterfield have been much the sharper side across all comps of late and under Paul Cook since his return on 10 February 2022, the Spireites play with an attacking spine and can transition from defence to attack quickly. They are more direct and vertical than Fleetwood, who will try to restrict space in the centre of the pitch and allow their wide midfielders to get on the ball.
Chesterfield to maintain away record
Chesterfield's physicality and ability to win the second balls in the wide areas will be key to this fixture and Lee Bonis, who has scored three of Chesterfield's last four goals in his last five matches, has been in the box like a shark in recent weeks.
Spireites have won 2 and drawn 2 in their last 4 away matches, conceding just twice, so they are hard to get at and travel well. In all, it's a tough call as Fleetwood have won two of their last 10 (W2, D5, L3) and have drawn three of their last five at home (with one loss), but we like Chesterfield's overall form and away record.
The last head-to-head, a 1-1 draw at Fleetwood in League Two, and two of the three previous meetings finishing all square suggests a stalemate is the top pick, but we shall edge towards the visitors given their fine away form.
A draw wouldn't be a disaster for either side in this early EFL Cup first-round tie, but both will see this as an opportunity to grab a win and make a statement. So we will take Over 2.5 goals at 83/100 and Both Teams To Score: Yes at 13/20 as the main selections, given the recent stats of both clubs and the head-to-head record.
