Tranmere vs Fleetwood Town Predictions

• Tranmere have won none of their six home matches against teams that currently reside in the top eight. They’ve lost five of those six.
• Only Southend have conceded more shots on target than Tranmere at home in League 1 this season.
• Fleetwood are League 1’s second-best team when it comes to shots on target conceded on the road.

Tranmere in trouble

As we approach the business end of the campaign, Tranmere are looking less and less likely to avoid a swift return to the fourth division. Micky Mellon’s men are currently five points shy of safety, though they do have a game in hand.

Last time out, Rovers made a timely return to the winners’ enclosure as they fought hard to get the better of Shrewsbury away from home. Such a result needs to spark a run of form. Unfortunately, Saturday’s hosts have a very poor home record against the better sides in the division. They’re without a win and have lost five out of six against teams that currently reside in the top eight, failing to score in three of those six matches. The last top-eight team to visit Prenton Park walked away with a comfortable 2-0 win just three weeks ago.

Cod Army in the hunt

While Tranmere are struggling to stave off relegation, Fleetwood are right in the hunt for a place in the coveted top six. At present, they’re on the outside looking in, but Joey Barton’s men, who haven’t tasted defeat since the second week in January, are only goal difference away from being where they want to be.

In recent weeks, Barton’s men have really started to show how solid they are, while they’ve also done a much better job of getting their noses in front, winning five of their last six. During that time, they’ve not conceded more than one goal, which further illustrates that they’re no easy team to get going against. In fact, the Cod Army haven’t conceded more than once in any of their last eight, while they’ve only conceded multiple goals in three of their last 15.

Visitors to edge it

Their record against teams in Fleetwood’s bracket does not bode well for the hosts. Punters can profit from this fixture by siding with the visitors to win, though we shouldn’t expect fireworks, so ‘Fleetwood to Win & Under 3.5 Goals’ stands out as the best option. The visitors have performed well of late, especially in the defensive third, though they’re not the sort of side to dish out a battering. Moreover, less than four goals have been scored in four of Tranmere’s five home losses against top-eight sides. Add in Tranmere’s average of just 0.66 goals for in games such as this, combine it with the fact that Fleetwood are the second-best team in the division when it comes to conceding shots on target away from home, and a low-scoring away win appeals.