Tranmere Rovers will be looking to bring their poor run of form to an end when they host Doncaster Rovers at Prenton Park in the latest round of League Two fixtures on Boxing Day.
The home side have not won a match in over two months, leaving them in 15th place, while the visitors are four points higher in 10th, and could move into the playoffs with a victory.
Match preview
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In light of their home match against Crawley Town being postponed last weekend, Tranmere have not played in over two weeks, giving them time on the training ground to fix the issues that have prevented them from winning in their last 10 matches in all competitions.
The main problem during this run has been a lack of goals, with Micky Mellon's side failing to score more than one in a single match since their 3-0 victory against Crewe Alexandra in mid-October.
While there have been attacking issues for the Rovers, the defence has more than played its part, with the Whites having the joint-fourth best defensive record in the division, having conceded just 18 in their 21 matches up to this point.
Despite their recent run of results, Tranmere are still just six points off the playoff places, meaning that they still have the opportunity to make a success of this season, if Mellon can get the likes of Kane Hemmings and Elliott Nevitt scoring more regularly.
In their last match, the Whites lost 2-1 away at Grimsby Town, with Jake Burton's second half goal proving to be too little too late after Brendan Kiernan and Niall Maher's goals had initially given the Mariners the ascendency.
Doncaster have been very much inconsistent so far this season, but they are just two points off the playoff places and could still seal a return to League One at the first attempt if they put together a good run of form.
In contrast to Tranmere, conceding too many goals has been the major issue for Danny Schofield's side so far this season, with 27 goals shipped up to this point, the joint-second highest amount of any team in the top 18.
Since arriving at the club just over two months ago, Schofield has so far failed to win two games in a row, while also overseeing some disappointing results, namely a 1-0 loss at home to King's Lynn Town in the FA Cup, as well as a 3-0 defeat to struggling Colchester United.
However, there has been some cause for optimism, with the Rovers already matching the amount of clean sheets they kept under previous manager Gary McSheffrey, having picked up two in Schofield's first eight games in charge.
The most recent of which came last time out when Doncaster won 1-0 away at Newport County, with Kyle Knoyle scoring only his second goal for the club to secure all three points in South Wales, and a similar result could be expected on Monday, given that they have won their last five games against Tranmere.
Team News
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Dynel Simeu is once again available for Tranmere, having missed the last three games through suspension, and he could replace Neill Byrne in the centre of defence.
Alongside the Cameroonian, Jordan Turnbull could also return after serving a suspension of his own, with Tom Davies dropping to the bench, making way for a more consistent pairing at centre-back.
Elliott Nevitt has not trained, so he looks set to miss out at striker, with Jake Burton set to come into the team, having scored from the bench last time out.
George Miller has found the net nine times for Doncaster in League Two this season, and he is set to lead the line once more, being supported by Harrison Biggins and Max Woltman.
Joseph Olowu suffered a training ground setback in his recovery from a cheekbone injury, so he will not be available in defence, with Ro-Shaun Williams and Kyle Knoyle set to keep their places.
Tranmere Rovers possible starting lineup:
Doohan; Dacres-Cogley, Simeu, Turnbull, Bristow; Morris, O'Connor, Merrie, Hawkes; Hemmings, Burton
Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:
Mitchell; Knoyle, Williams, Rowe; Seaman, Clayton, Close, Maxwell; Woltman, Biggins, Miller
We say: Tranmere Rovers 1-1 Doncaster Rovers
Tranmere have drawn a lot of their recent matches, so it seems likely that they will have to settle for a point again against Doncaster on Monday.
The visitors have won two of their last three games on their travels, including their last match against Newport County, so they should be good enough for a draw in what is likely to be a low-scoring game.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Dominic Lund
