Tranmere vs Macclesfield Predictions

Last season the clash between Tranmere Rovers and Macclesfield Town was a fiercely fought clash in the National League as both sides were doing all they could to win their spot in the Football League. Although both sides went on to claim the two promotion spots available, this Friday evening they clash once again, and with the visitors already parting ways with their management, it promises to be a clash with plenty on the line.

Tranmere Rovers suffered a heavy 6-0 defeat in the Checkatrade Trophy to Shrewsbury midweek but their league form has been more encouraging and they go into this match in the last of the League Two play-off places. Boss Micky Mellon made wholesale changes for the midweek tie but he is expected to revert to a side similar to that which won at Morecambe last weekend. Rovers have typically relied on a strong defence to earn the points they have so far but after conceding three against the Shrimps, they proved they are no one trick pony as they still managed to walk away with all three points.

Bottom-club Macclesfield’s 0-1 defeat to Notts County last weekend proved the final straw for Mark Yates who parted company with the club. Assistant managers Danny Whitaker and Neil Howarth are in interim charge and oversaw a midweek 4-1 Checkatrade Trophy defeat at Accrington Stanley. The duo made a few changes for the midweek defeat and will likely make some more here as they seek to turn the club’s fortunes around. The visitors are yet to earn their first victory of the season in the league and with one of the leakiest defences around, it is easy to see why.

Although both of these sides suffered defeat midweek, it is largely results which can be ignored, as the clubs typically do not put too much importance on the Checkatrade Trophy until the latter stages. However, it is hard to ignore the fact that the visitors have claimed just one point on their travels this season and the hosts have conceded just twice in front of their own fans. With this in mind, we think a home win looks to be a pretty safe bet and it is here where we shall be placing our money.

We are not done there though, as we think that the visitors may represent a more difficult challenge than many will give them credit for. The sacking of a manager often sparks something, which means Tranmere may have to do things the hard way on Friday evening. This, combined with the fact that they conceded three times to lowly Morecambe in their previous league game, means that we think that combining our initial tip with there to be over 2.5 goals scored could prove to be a shrewd move.