Stockport County vs Lincoln City prediction 26.12.2025 | League One

Thirty-five points from 20 games is solid work, and it places the Hatters fifth for now. That position would mean a playoff spot come May, though supporters still remember how cruel that route felt last season.

There’s a sense that Stockport would rather finish the job cleanly this time, if that’s possible. Dave Challinor’s side come into this one off a 2-1 win away at Mansfield, a game they had to chase after falling behind.

Results like that do lift belief. However, Edgeley Park has not been kind recently. Five home matches without a win lingers in the background, no matter how much the players try to ignore it.

Up front, Kyle Wootton has quietly done his job with 9 league goals and the English forward looks set to lead the line again.

Lincoln’s situation is slightly different, though no less tense. The Imps sit second with 38 points from 21 games, right in the automatic promotion picture.

Still, only four points separate them from sixth, which means there’s very little margin for error. Michael Skubala’s side are unbeaten in three, picking up two wins along the way. Yet there’s a catch. None of those victories came away from the LNER Stadium.

Lincoln have managed just one win in their last five on the road, and their recent history at Edgeley Park makes for uncomfortable reading.

Three visits, three defeats. Friday has all the markings of a tricky assignment. Discipline could also play a role. Tom Bayliss and Ben House both sit on four bookings, and another yellow for either would trigger a one-match suspension.