Tranmere vs Tottenham Hotspur Predictions

After failing to come through the initial tie, Tranmere showcased their quality when beating Southport by two goals to nil in the previous round, though the fact that they required a replay against a National League North side doesn’t exactly bode well ahead of a match against one of England’s top sides. Even if the visitors rotate heavily, Micky Mellon’s side will need to do much better if they’re to compete on Friday night.

In League Two, Tranmere have made some pleasing headway this season. They’ve been anything but outclassed since making the step up from the National League, while they’ve offered a good amount at both ends of the pitch. Competing against sides in the fourth division is very different to competing against a top-four side from the Premier League, though the fact that Tramere have coped well this season will leave them feeling upbeat.

It must be said that Tranmere’s home performances this season have been encouraging, especially from a defensive point of view. Friday’s hosts have found it easy to keep teams at bay when playing in front of their own fans, as the fact that they’ve shipped just five goals in twelve home games suggests. What’s more, they’ve also prevented their League Two counterparts from creating much at Prenton Park. Tranmere have surrendered an average of just 0.8 expected goals on their own patch, which is very good.

However, despite their pleasing defensive stats in the league, Tranmere have a rather poor record against higher-level sides in this competition. They shipped five against League One’s Peterborough last season, while Swansea visited Prenton Park are scored six back in 2015. They also conceded five goals against both Derby and Peterborough back in 2013. Such a record isn’t great, though the visitors haven’t always been at their best against lower-level teams in recent seasons, so there’s hope for the hosts yet.

While Tranmere have struggled against teams plying their trade at a higher level in recent times, Tottenham haven’t exactly flourished against sides lower down the Football League pyramid. Despite reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup last season, Mauricio Pochettino’s men failed to win away against both Rochdale and Newport, while it took them an hour to break down Wimbledon at Wembley at this stage of the competition.

Spurs’ have looked very good in the league of late; they’ve generally found it easy to break teams down and have been scoring goals at will. Against League Two opposition, the Premier League boys could run riot, though given the numbers above, coupled with the fact that Pochettino is likely to rest several of his key players, it’s easy to envisage the visitors struggling more than the prices suggest.

At the prices, the bet that stands out is ‘Tottenham to Win & Under 3.5 Goals’. Away against both Rochdale and Newport last season, both of whom sat deep with men behind the ball, Spurs were unable to create an abundance of clear-cut opportunities. As was the case on both of those occasions, the visitors are likely to field a half-strength side, so a defensively-minded Tranmere, who’re no strangers to keeping things tight at home, could keep things respectable.