Accrington Stanley vs Tranmere Predictions

• Only two League 1 teams have conceded more home goals than Accrington this season.
• Accrington are the fifth-best League 1 team in terms of shots on target for at home this term.
• Accrington have conceded in 100% of their home matches against teams currently in the bottom eight.

Defence a problem for Stanley

After a string of poor defensive efforts, Accrington did keep a clean sheet last time out, though their shutout came against bottom-of-the-league Bolton, so it’s probably unreasonable to say that they’ve tightened things up. Offensively, John Coleman’s men are a very useful outfit, but they’re constantly held back by a lack of defensive solidity.

Even at home, where they’ve scored a pleasing 32 goals in 16 matches, Stanley have struggled to keep teams at bay, conceding a rather worrying 25. Only two League 1 teams have conceded more home goals than Accrington. Worrying, Stanley have not just conceded in each of their last six at home, but they’ve conceded two or more in five of those six.

Rovers refreshed

It’s been a tough season for Tranmere, who’re currently seven points from safety, though Micky Mellon’s men made a timely return to the winners’ enclosure last time out. All is not yet lost. What’s more, the visitors, unlike the hosts, come into this match having had over a week to recover and prepare, as their match last weekend was postponed.

Not only did Tranmere win last time out, but they won away from home, scoring three goals in the process, proving that they can deliver the goods away from home. Unfortunately, Rovers’ away record isn’t great, they’ve only won three out of 13 on their travels, while they’ve not exactly thrived against the bottom teams, winning out of four. That said, they’re up against a very leaky Accrington side, while they are coming off the back of confidence-boosting away-day effort.

Goals on the cards

In the betting, ‘Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score’ appeals as a viable option. Accrington can hardly avoid being involved in high scoring games at home, while they’ve made a habit of both scoring and conceding goals against the bottom teams. Each of Accrington’s six home matches against bottom-eight teams has contained at least three goals, while both teams have scored in each of those six. The hosts have more than enough quality to hurt a dodgy Tranmere back-line, but their previous defensive exploits don’t exactly point towards them keeping a clean sheet, especially against a Tranmere side that found their shooting boots last time out.