MX23RW : Saturday, June 15 23:41:49| >> :600:872011:872011:
[monks data]
Tranmere Rovers
League Two | Gameweek 6
Sep 4, 2021 at 3pm UK
Prenton Park
Hartlepool United

Tranmere
1 - 0
Hartlepool

Davies (89')
Clarke (55'), Knight-Percival (74')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Sterry (37'), Byrne (55')

Preview: Tranmere Rovers vs. Hartlepool United - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's League Two clash between Tranmere Rovers and Hartlepool United, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Tranmere Rovers will be looking to end a run of four League Two games without a win when they host Hartlepool United on Saturday afternoon.

The visitors, meanwhile, could climb to the top of the table with a victory and if other results in the division were to go their way.


Match preview

Tranmere Rovers manager Micky Mellon celebrates after the match on January 23, 2020© Reuters

Goals have been at a premium in games involving Tranmere Rovers so far this season, with the team scoring only once and conceding twice in their opening five league matches.

Their only goal came on the opening day when a Callum McManaman strike secured a narrow 1-0 victory against Walsall. Since then, the Super White Army have not been living up to their nickname, claiming two goalless draws against Port Vale and Swindon Town, before losing by 1-0 scorelines against Newport County and Scunthorpe United.

Micky Mellon, who returned to the club this summer after a year away in Scotland with Dundee United, will have been disappointed with his side's most recent performance against Scunthorpe, having dominated possession with 73% of the ball but failing to have a single shot on target.

Tranmere's form in front of goal needs to improve if they are to climb up from their current position of 19th, just two points above the relegation zone.

Mellon's men face a challenging fixture on Saturday against newly-promoted Hartlepool, who they have failed to beat in each of their last five meetings.

Hartlepool United's Ryan Donaldson and manager Dave Challinor celebrate after the game on June 13, 2021© Reuters

Hartlepool, meanwhile, have made a bright start to life back in the Football League, with three victories from their opening four league matches.

All three wins have been on home soil, beating Crawley Town, Walsall and Carlisle United, with their only away encounter ending in defeat against Barrow.

David Challinor's men currently sit fifth in League Two, just three points behind leaders Forest Green Rovers with a game in hand.

The Monkey Hangers travel to Tranmere off the back of a 4-3 defeat on penalties against Carlisle in the EFL Trophy group stage, following an entertaining 3-3 draw in 90 minutes.

After scoring 10 goals from their opening six matches across all competitions, Hartlepool will be confident of finding the net on Saturday, as they aim to claim their first victory on the road since beating Stockport County in the National League playoff semi-finals in June.

Tranmere Rovers League Two form:
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • L
  • L

Tranmere Rovers form (all competitions):
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • D
  • L
  • L

Hartlepool United League Two form:
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • W

Hartlepool United form (all competitions):
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • L


Team News

Hartlepool United's Ryan Donaldson celebrates with teammates after the match on June 13, 2021© Reuters

Tranmere made four signings on Deadline Day – Nicky Maynard, Mark Duffy, Lee O'Connor and Stephen Walker – and they will all be in contention to make their debuts this weekend.

Defender Nathaniel Knight-Percival will serve a one-match suspension for this game, so Tom Davies is expected to play alongside 39-year-old centre-back Peter Clarke.

Either Joe Maguire or Calum MacDonald is likely to start at left-back, while former Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers midfielder Jay Spearing is set to play alongside Ryan Watson.

As for Hartlepool, 18-year-old forward Joe Grey is close to returning to first-team action after a six-month absence with a back injury.

Millwall loanee Tyler Burey has had a bright start with the Monkey Hangers, scoring three goals in his opening five matches, and he is set to start in attack with either Mark Cullen or Will Goodwin.

Central midfield trio Mark Shelton, Nicky Featherstone and Gavan Holohan are all expected to keep their places in the starting lineup, though Luke Molyneux – who is yet to start a league game this season – will be hoping he can force his way into the first XI.

Tranmere Rovers possible starting lineup:
Murphy; Dacres-Cogley, Clarke, Davies, MacDonald; Watson, Spearing; McManaman, Feeney, Glatzel; Maynard

Hartlepool United possible starting lineup:
Killip; Byrne, Liddle, Francis-Angol; Sterry, Featherstone, Shelton, Holohan, Ferguson; Goodwin, Burey


SM words green background

We say: Tranmere Rovers 1-1 Hartlepool United

Tranmere head into this fixture out of form, but having recruited four new players to bolster their squad, Mellon will be hoping they can provide a much-needed spark to get them back on track.

However, with little to separate the hosts and Hartlepool, a score draw could be on the cards at Prenton Park.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 2.5:data



ID:462045:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect10696:

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Tranmere Rovers win with a probability of 44.24%. A win for Hartlepool United had a probability of 28.64% and a draw had a probability of 27.1%.

The most likely scoreline for a Tranmere Rovers win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.24%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.76%) and 2-0 (8.38%). The likeliest Hartlepool United win was 0-1 (9.35%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.79%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 12.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Tranmere Rovers in this match.


Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Game History

How you voted: Tranmere vs Hartlepool

Tranmere Rovers
31.3%
Draw
31.3%
Hartlepool United
37.5%
16
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Callum McManaman #19 of West Bromwich Albion stops a ball during an International friendly soccer match between West Bromwich Albion and the Orlando City SC at the Orlando Citrus Bowl on July 15, 2015 in Orlando, Florida. Orlando won the match 3-1.
Read Next:
Tranmere sign former Wigan and West Brom winger Callum McManaman
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Sunday, June 16
 
5pm
 
8pm
Monday, June 17
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Tuesday, June 18
 
5pm
Wednesday, June 19
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Thursday, June 20
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Group Stage
Spain
vs.
Italy
Friday, June 21
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Saturday, June 22
 
5pm
 
8pm
Sunday, June 23
 
8pm
 
8pm
Monday, June 24
 
8pm
 
8pm
Tuesday, June 25
 
5pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
 
8pm
Wednesday, June 26
 
5pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
 
8pm
Saturday, June 29
Sunday, June 30
Monday, July 1
Tuesday, July 2
Friday, July 5
Saturday, July 6
Tuesday, July 9
Wednesday, July 10
Sunday, July 14
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Germany Germany11003
2 Switzerland Switzerland11003
3 Hungary Hungary10010
4 Scotland flag Scotland10010

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Spain Spain11003
2 Italy Italy11003
3 Albania national flag Albania10010
4 Croatia Croatia10010

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Denmark Denmark00000
2 England flag England00000
3 Serbia Serbia00000
4 Slovenia Slovenia00000

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Austria Austria00000
2 France France00000
3 Netherlands Netherlands00000
4 Poland Poland00000

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Belgium Belgium00000
2 Romania Romania00000
3 Slovakia Slovakia00000
4 Ukraine Ukraine00000

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Czech Republic Czech Republic00000
2 Georgia Georgia00000
3 Portugal Portugal00000
4 Turkey Turkey00000


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!