Looking to turn their fortunes around, struggling Tranmere Rovers welcome Fleetwood Town for their rescheduled matchday 16 League Two fixture this Tuesday.
Originally set for November 16, 2024, the match was postponed due to the international break, which saw three of the visitors' players receive call-ups.
Match preview
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Tranmere are enduring a season to forget, especially considering they had entered the campaign looking to build on last term's 15th-place finish with 57 points.
Instead, the Rovers have been on a downward spiral, now hovering just above the relegation zone despite a promising start that saw them pick up two wins and two draws in their opening four matches.
Nigel Adkins's side have struggled to gain any traction since then, with their latest setback coming in a 2-0 defeat at Salford City, extending their losing streak to three while remaining winless in six.
Their woes stem from vulnerabilities at both ends of the pitch, having conceded the joint-most goals in the division (48) while also scoring the fewest (21), leaving the Super White Army 22nd in the standings with 26 points from 29 matches, three ahead of 23rd-placed Morecambe.
While Tranmere have the chance to widen that gap on Tuesday, history suggests an uphill battle, as they have lost all three previous competitive meetings against the visitors — two in the EFL Trophy and one in League One.
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Meanwhile, Fleetwood, in significantly better form, secured their fourth win in six matches last time out, beating Cheltenham Town 2-0 at Highbury Stadium.
In a contest where goalkeeper Jay Lynch was barely tested, with Cheltenham failing to register a single shot on target, the Cod Army were far more clinical, producing six attempts on goal, two of which were converted by Matty Virtue and Mark Helm, despite seeing just 40% of the ball.
Manager Pete Wild was pleased with his side's ability to grind out results at this stage of the season, highlighting their defensive solidity while referencing their previous 4-2 loss to Morecambe, where they had most of the possession (53%), but ultimately fell short.
The Englishman will be even more encouraged by his side's resurgence, considering they had won just twice in their previous 14 league outings before this turnaround, which has reignited their push for League One qualification as they edge closer to the playoff spots.
Fleetwood currently sit 15th, nine points behind seventh-placed Salford, who have played two games more, and they will aim to strengthen their bid with another positive result at Prenton Park.
Team News
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With Tranmere's ongoing struggles in the final third, Adkins has rotated his attacking options in search of the right combination, but pairing Harvey Saunders and Connor Jennings in a two-man frontline against Salford failed to yield the desired outcome.
Josh Davison and Sol Solomon came on as substitutes and showed promise, meaning they could lead the line on Tuesday, while Luke Norris, who recently returned from injury and featured off the bench last time out, is also in contention.
Jake Garrett made his first full start in Tranmere colours last time out, delivering a solid display that may earn him another start in midweek.
Fleetwood remain without long-term absentee Zech Medley following the Achilles tendon rupture he suffered in August last year, while centre-forward Ronan Coughlan, sidelined with a similar issue, is set to miss a fourth straight match.
Virtue has been in fine form, scoring in back-to-back games to take his league tally to eight, making him the club's joint-top scorer, and he is expected to retain his spot in midfield, while Helm, who netted after coming off the bench last time, could be handed a start.
Tranmere Rovers possible starting lineup:
McGee; Wood, Turnbull, Davies, O'Conor, Norman; Garret, Merrie, Finely; Solomon, Davison
Fleetwood Town possible starting lineup:
Lynch; Rooney, Bolton, Sarpong-Wiredu; Cover, Virtue, Bonds, Helm, Hunt; Marsh, Graydon
We say: Tranmere Rovers 0-1 Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood arrive in better form and with a dominant record against Tranmere, who will fight to pull away from the bottom, but we back the visitors to edge a low-scoring contest.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
