Salford City will be looking to make it three straight League Two victories when they take on high-flying Tranmere Rovers at the Peninsula Stadium on Tuesday night.
The home side are currently 12th in the table, picking up 30 points from their 22 league games this season, while Tranmere occupy second, seven points behind runaway leaders Forest Green Rovers.
Match preview
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Salford have not yet managed to escape League Two despite their significant investment, and it has been another inconsistent campaign for the Ammies, who sit down in 12th position in the table.
Gary Bowyer's side have won eight, drawn six and lost eight of their 22 matches to collect 30 points, but they are only five points behind seventh-placed Newport County, with the playoffs the minimum target this term.
Salford have found some form in recent weeks, though, winning four of their last six in the league, including their last two against Stevenage and Newport County, which will have boosted confidence in the camp.
Bowyer's side now face a huge test against Tranmere, who have the best home record in the division this season but have found it difficult to show consistency on their travels.
Salford have won five, drawn five and lost two of their 12 home league games in League Two this term, meanwhile, and another victory on Tuesday would be a huge boost to their promotion hopes.
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Tranmere, meanwhile, finished seventh in League Two last season, making the playoffs, where they lost to Morecambe, who secured promotion to the third tier by beating Newport County in the final.
Rovers again look capable of securing a spot high up the division, as an impressive campaign to date has left them in second spot in the table, boasting 41 points from their opening 23 matches.
Micky Mellon's side are seven points behind leaders Forest Green Rovers, who have a game in hand, but they are crucially seven points clear of eighth-placed Exeter City.
Tranmere are also on an incredible winning run in the league, picking up maximum points in each of their last six matches, including a 4-0 success over Scunthorpe on Saturday.
Mellon's team have not even conceded a single goal in the league since November 23, so they will head to Salford full of confidence and looking for their 13th League Two success of the campaign.
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Team News
Liam Shephard was replaced in the 32nd minute of Salford's win over Newport on Saturday through injury, meaning that there could be a start out wide for Tyler Golden.
Hard coach Bowyer could otherwise select the same side that started at the weekend, though, with Brandon Thomas-Asante again operating through the middle.
Tyreik Wright is an option in the final third of the field, but Aramide Oteh should again retain his spot, with Conor McAleny and Ian Henderson both expected to miss out again.
As for Tranmere, Sam Foley came off the bench to score in Saturday's thumping with over Scunthorpe and could now earn a spot in the starting XI for this match.
Mellon's side did not suffer any fresh fitness issues, though, and there should again be spots for Charlie Jolley and Elliott Nevitt in the final third of the field.
Fatigue should not be an issue for the visitors, as Saturday's clash was their first fixture since Boxing Day, with coronavirus issues seeing two fixtures over the festive period postponed.
Salford City possible starting lineup:
King; Vassell, Eastham, Turnbull, Love; Lowe, Lund; Golden, Morris, Oteh; Thomas-Asante
Tranmere Rovers possible starting lineup:
Doohan; Dacres-Cogley, Davies, Clarke, MacDonald; Feeney, Spearing, O'Connor, Foley; Jolley, Nevitt
We say: Salford City 1-1 Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere are on a roll at the moment, but Salford will also enter the match in good confidence due to their recent results. It would not be a surprise to see a home or indeed an away victory on Tuesday, but we just have a feeling that the two teams will play out a low-scoring draw.
Top tip
Matt Law
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Salford City win with a probability of 40.72%. A win for Tranmere Rovers had a probability of 31.19% and a draw had a probability of 28.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Salford City win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.38%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.24%) and 2-0 (7.77%). The likeliest Tranmere Rovers win was 0-1 (10.47%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.13%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13.1% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a 1-1 draw for this match.
