Preview: Sutton United vs. Tranmere Rovers - prediction, team news, lineups

The home side will be hoping to put a four-game losing run to an end, while the visitors are in good form having won their last three league games.

Match preview

Sutton currently find themselves in 15th place, with 14 points from 12 games in their second ever League Two campaign.

Having made a decent start to the season, they have begun struggling in recent games, losing at home to Salford City and away to Gillingham and Stevenage.

The U's will be particularly disappointed by their last match, a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to Stevenage courtesy of a Luke Norris brace, the only game in which they have been beaten by more than one goal in the league this season.

Heading into Saturday however, Matt Gray's side will be given confidence by their home record so far this season, only losing once in six outings, with four wins and one draw in front of their home crowd, the fourth-best record in the division.

Their home form is also impressive given the quality of opponents Sutton have beaten, overcoming Barrow and Mansfield Town - both of whom currently occupy a place in the playoffs - at the Borough Sports Ground.

Still only six points from the playoffs themselves, despite recent form, three points for The U's is important to keep them in the hunt for the top seven, missing out in disappointing fashion last season by coming eighth, with a win also seeing them go above their opponents.

Although they are faced with a tricky away trip, Tranmere are a side that have proven their mettle on the road in recent weeks, with 1-0 wins at Salford and Walsall seeing them rise up the table considerably, now in 11th place.

To back up their form on the road, Micky Mellon's side also secured three points against Barrow last weekend, courtesy of another 1-0 victory, and in truth it should have been more with Elliott Nevitt hitting the post, and Dynel Simeu coming close with two good headed efforts late on.

Given Sutton's good home record, Tranmere will need to be more clinical in Saturday's encounter, only notching three goals on the road so far, and yet to really get their strikers firing, with Kane Hemmings and Elliott Nevitt only on two goals each in the league.

With victories only coming by one goal, recent fixtures have required Tranmere to have a solid defensive unit, and they have stood up to the test largely due to the centre-back pairing of Jordan Turnbull and Simeu, whose form has meant Rovers now have the joint-second best defensive record in the league.

Recent form has made the world of difference to the outlook of the table for Micky Mellon's side, now only four points from the playoffs, and a win could see them move up to 10th, also having a game in hand on Swindon Town and Doncaster Rovers, who occupy eighth and ninth currently.

Sutton United League Two form:

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Sutton United form (all competitions):

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Tranmere Rovers League Two form:

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Tranmere Rovers form (all competitions):

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Team News

Sutton will be without Donovan Wilson for Saturday's game, with the forward still serving his suspension after seeing red against Salford in The U's last home fixture.

Jonathan Barden is also set to be absent this weekend, having had to go off on a stretcher in the last match against Stevenage with a broken leg which will see him sidelined for the foreseeable future, with Adam Lovatt likely to play in his absence.

Having struggled for goals in recent matches, Kylian Kouassi may be brought in up front, with the striker replacing goalless summer signing Charley Kendall for the last 15 minutes against Stevenage.

Josh Neufville will get the nod at right midfield, with the 21-year-old starting in his side's last seven outings, and Enzio Boldewijn is likely to be on the opposite flank.

Micky Mellon is unlikely to tinker with what has been a winning formula in the league recently, with Turnbull and Simeu set to be the centre-back pair in a 4-4-2 system.

Josh Dacres-Cogley has been ever-present at right-back in the league this season, with this also being the case for Ethan Bristow on the opposite side at left-back, and they are likely to make up the rest of the Tranmere defence.

Going forward, Josh Hawkes is set to start in left midfield, given the 23-year-old is his side's top scorer this season, and netted the winner in their last match against Barrow.

Sutton United possible starting lineup:

Ward; Kizzi, Rowe, John, Milsom; Neufville, Eastmond, Lovatt, Boldewijn; Bugiel, Kouassi

Tranmere Rovers possible starting lineup:

Doohan; Cogley, Turnbull, Simeu, Bristow; Morris, O'Connor, Merrie, Hawkes; Hemmings, Nevitt

We say: Sutton United 0-0 Tranmere Rovers

Sutton have been in poor form recently, but we think they will have enough to get a point against Tranmere due to their good home record so far this season.

Both teams have struggled for goals in recent games, and so we think this one will end as a stalemate.

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