Tranmere vs Cheltenham Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

In their first game back in the Football League, Tranmere Rovers fans were treated to an entertaining match against Stevenage.

The team came from 2-0 down to secure a point thanks to the exploits of striker James Norwood, who scored both of Tranmere’s goals. This will give Norwood and the team great hope that he can replicate his National League form in a higher division, after he scored 23 goals in 46 goals across all competitions last season. His two shots were the only ones Tranmere had on target which indicates the strikers are clinical with their finishing.

In addition, the manager will have been pleased by the character of his team to claw back a 2-0 goal deficit against a talented team, and should add to the confidence they have that they can compete in this league.

However, some of the defending was below-par. Stevenage’s first goal came from a failure to clear the ball, whilst the team struggled to deal with Stevenage’s pace at times. In addition, whilst it should not be a huge concern, the failure of the team to perhaps win the match after Stevenage went a man down in the 74th minute could potentially raise questions about the team’s ability to take games by the scruff of the neck.

On the other hand, Cheltenham had a rather disappointing opening day display. They lost 1-0 at home to Harry Kewell’s Crawley Town and will be hoping for much better this time around.Indeed, Crawley appeared to dominate proceedings, having more possession and three times as many shots on target as Cheltenham did.

However, there were positives to take from the match. The side competed well against a quality team, even though they had eight debutants starting the match. This suggests the team will take a few games to properly embed and gel to fulfil their full potential. Indeed, players who didn’t play against Crawley could make their first appearances in this game, like Jacob Maddox, an attacking midfielder loaned from Chelsea who could unlock defences at this level with ease.

In addition, the team did create chances. They even secured a penalty after debutant Kalvin Kalala was fouled in box, however, Kevin Dawson failed to convert it. Despite this, the team does have an attacking threat when going forward. They will miss the presence of striker Mohammed Eisa, who left to join Bristol City, managed by the son of Cheltenham manager Gary Johnson. He scored 23 goals last season, and the team have to raise their game to compensate for that missing goal threat.

We think this game is going to be very tight, with not much appearing to separate the two sides. However, the inability of Tranmere to control the game against 10-man Stevenage and the good form of Cheltenham in the last half an hour against Crawley suggests they could just nick it. A “Cheltenham Draw No Bet” represents the closeness of the two teams in quality, whilst also that little bit extra Cheltenham could produce on the day. Thus, a 2-1 correct score bet could also be a winner in this respect.