Tranmerevs.Bradford

The Bantams returned to winning ways on Monday, while their hosts have failed to pick up a victory in any of their last five league outings.

Match preview

Tranmere Rovers return to Prenton Park on Saturday aiming to end a five-match winless streak in League One, having experienced a relatively slow start to their campaign after a 16th-placed finish last time around.

From their first nine outings, Nigel Adkins's side have earned 11 points, having only managed two victories while also suffering two defeats, both of which came consecutively after their two triumphs in August.

Their struggles have come in attack, thus far, with no other team in England's fourth tier having scored as few as their five goals, while only two of those have come in the last five games.

On the back of their consecutive victories and defeats, the Rovers head into the weekend on the back of three straight draws, firstly playing out a goalless stalemate with Salford City and a 1-1 draw with Swindon Town, before most recently visiting MK Dons on Saturday and salvaging a point thanks to Regan Hendry's injury-time leveller.

Now following a 2-1 EFL Trophy win over Accrington Stanley on Tuesday, Tranmere Rovers will bid to end their five-match wait for a third league victory of the season at the weekend.

They face a tough test, though, with the visitors arriving in Merseyside aiming to join League Two's frontrunners.

Aiming to end their five-year stay in England's fourth tier this term, Bradford City enjoyed a strong start to the 2024-25 season, but a four-match winless streak between mid-September and the beginning of October left them on 12 points from nine outings.

That rut culminated in a 1-1 draw away at strugglers Morecambe, having only salvaged a point thanks to Jack Shepherd's 88th-minute leveller, before the Bantams set out to make a return to winning ways against Newport County at Valley Parade on Monday.

After going ahead through Andy Cook, Graham Alexander's men were pegged back around the hour mark of that contest, but they regained a lead 15 minutes from time through Jamie Walker before Bobby Pointon sealed the three points with his side's third in the dying embers.

Having now rebuilt a degree of confidence with that return to winning ways, Bradford City will now bid to make it back-to-back victories and end a four-match winless streak on the road with the chance to narrow their four-point gap to the league leaders.

Tranmere Rovers League Two form:

W

L

L

D

D

D

Tranmere Rovers form (all competitions):

L

L

D

D

D

W

Bradford City League Two form:

W

L

D

L

D

W

Bradford City form (all competitions):

L

W

D

L

D

W

Team News

Tranmere Rovers will remain without Josh Hawkes, Sam Finley and Declan Drysdale due to injuries heading into the weekend, although Brad Walker has returned to contention after his own layoff.

Nigel Adkins should field a similar starting XI to the one which drew 1-1 away at MK Dons last weekend, but Regan Hendry does have a claim to come in from the start after netting their 91st-minute leveller off the bench.

Kristian Dennis should continue to lead the line, while Omari Patrick has been their key attacking man having notched up four goals and an assist in 12 appearances so far this season.

Graham Alexander also has several decisions to make after his Bradford side's 3-1 victory on Monday, with Bobby Pointon having impressed and scored off the bench, while Corry Evans will hope to earn a first start following his October arrival.

He faces stiff competition, though, with Clarke Oduor and Jamie Walker again hoping to join captain Richard Smallwood, while Cheick Diabate, Neill Byrne and Jack Shepherd are bound to line up in an unaltered back three.

Pointon may compete with Calum Kavanagh to start up top alongside talisman Andy Cook, who has netted five League Two goals so far this season, taking his tally to 77 in 176 appearances for the Bantams.

Tranmere Rovers possible starting lineup:

McGee; Lee, Davies, Turnbull; Norman, Khan, Merrie, Bradshaw; Patrick, Hendry; Dennis

Bradford City possible starting lineup:

Walker; Diabate, Byrne, Shepherd; Benn, Oduor, Smallwood, Walker; Wright; Cook, Kavanagh

We say: Tranmere Rovers 1-2 Bradford City

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