Tranmere Rovers host Morecambe in the first leg of the League Two playoff semi-finals at Prenton Park. Tranmere head into the clash in poor form and are likely to fall short against Morecambe who have impressed on their recent travels.
Tranmere Rovers ended the League Two regular season with a drab 0-0 draw with Colchester. They saw more of the ball but barely threatened the Colchester goal and finished without a single attempt on target.
It has been a turbulent few week for Tranmere as they head into the playoffs without a manager after firing Keith Hill at the end of the regular season. They took the gamble to let the former Bolton boss go despite guiding the team to seventh place in the regular season.
In truth, Tranmere were not at their best in the final weeks of the regular season. Having spent much of the season vying for an automatic promotion berth, they claimed just two wins from their final 11 matches to barely make the last playoff place.
Things are much smoother for Morecambe as they head into Thursday’s match off the back of a 2-0 victory over Bradford City. Goals in each half from Liam McAlinden and Cole Stockton were enough to seal the win.
The Shrimps ended the season in fine style as they claimed five wins from their final six matches. That late season rally was enough to help Derek Adams’ team secure a fourth-place finish in the final standings.
Morecambe have also impressed on their recent travels and travel to Prenton Park with wins in their last two away matches.
How the bookies view it
Tranmere Rovers are considered favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 7/5 by Red Zone. SBK is offering 9/4 for a victory for Morecambe while a draw is set at odds of 23/10 by bet365.
While Tranmere are likely to score on Thursday, they have not shown enough quality in recent weeks to get past an in-form Morecambe team. I am leaning towards an away win in this one.
Head to head
Tranmere Rovers have a 5-2 advantage with one draw from eight previous matches against Morecambe. Tranmere triumphed 1-0 in the reverse fixture in January while Morecambe also claimed a 1-0 victory on their last visit to Prenton Park.
Players to watch
Striker James Vaughan missed a large chunk of the season through injury but returned just in time to feature in the final weeks of the season. He netted 18 goals for Tranmere in the regular season and could be worth a punt in the anytime goalscorer at 15/8 with Paddy Power.
Morecambe will look to the twin attacking threats of Cole Stockton and Carlos Gomes who have combined for 28 goals this season. Stockton is priced at 9/4 by Paddy Power to score anytime while betfair has Gomes at 13/5 in the same market.
Anything else catch the eye?
With Tranmere Rovers and Morecambe boasting quality in attack, both teams could be backed to score at 19/20 with Sport Nation. Over 2.5 goals could be worth a punt at 11/9 with SBK, who is also offering 16/5 for over 3.5 goals.
Morecambe could be backed to score first at 13/10 with bet365 while there are likely to be goals in both halves at evens with Sporting Index.
This English League Two match between Tranmere Rovers and Morecambe will be played on and kick off at 18:00. Check below for our tipsters best Tranmere Rovers vs Morecambe prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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