Round 42 of the 2023-24 League Two season sees Tranmere Rovers and Colchester United go head-to-head at Prenton Park on Monday afternoon.
The teams head into this one off the back of contrasting results in their most recent outings, but a close encounter is expected here nonetheless.
Match preview
Tranmere Rovers fell to a second straight defeat as they were comfortably beaten 2-0 by Bradford City in Friday's meeting at Valley Parade.
Nigel Adkins's men conceded a 64th-minute opener to Calum Kavanagh and had not yet totally licked their wounds when Bobby Pointon doubled the deficit five minutes later.
Consequently, the Rovers remain 17th in the League Two table, five points adrift of Newport County in the race for a top-half finish.
Lying in store next is the challenge of an opposing outfit with little to choose between the sides over the last seven meetings, which have yielded two wins apiece and three draws.
Having recorded 35 of their 50 points so far from home matches, Monday's hosts will know that their home form will be crucial in putting together a strong end to the current campaign.
Colchester showed great resolve to see off the threat of Newport and claim a narrow 2-1 win at the Colchester Community Stadium on Friday.
After going behind to Offrande Zanzala's opener, Danny Cowley's men restored parity through Ellis Iandolo after which Jay Mingi grabbed a late winner to complete the comeback.
With 37 points picked up from 38 matches this term, the U's sit 22nd in the league table and are just a point clear of relegation danger, albeit with three games in hand on Sutton United.
Currently on a run of just one win in 13 away outings leading up to Monday's affair, the visitors will need to get going on the road to boost their chances of beating the drop.
Team News
Connor Wood missed Tranmere's last outing with a muscle problem which he suffered against Crawley Town and is not expected to feature here.
This should see Dan Pike retain his place in the hosts' starting lineup off the back of a rare start for the 22-year-old last time out.
Ellis Iandolo netted a crucial leveller for Colchester against Newport, and the midfielder will be pushing for a first start since returning to action.
Englishman Samson Tovide is closing in on 10 yellow cards for the season, but having passed the 37-game cut-off point, he does not need to be wary of a ban.
Tranmere Rovers possible starting lineup:
McGee; Pike, Yarney, Davies, O'Connor; Morris, Jennings, Hendry, Apter; Saunders, Norris
Colchester United possible starting lineup:
Goodman; Mingi, Dallison, Hall; Anderson, Smith, McGeehan, Read, Fevrier; Akinde, Ihionvein
We say: Tranmere Rovers 2-1 Colchester United
Given the defensive records of both teams so far, we can hardly see either coming away with a clean sheet from this one. We also fancy the home side to just about get the job done in the end.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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