Perhaps a welcome break from league football as Tranmere Rovers & Wigan Athletic face off to decide who makes it to next stage of the EFL Trophy. All the pre-match information is available here!
It's no vacation for neither Tranmere nor Wigan Athletic as both were in action only a few days ago. Expect some tired legs on the pitch and/or possibly some changes to the lineups.
Tranmere Rovers form and stats
Last season, Tranmere's EFL Trophy journey ended in the 3rd round.Overall League Two stats at home this season for Tranmere Rovers are 2-0-3 (wins-draw-losses).
A nice win for Tranmere last time playing, versus Accrington Stanley. That was also a home game and the match ended 2-1 with C. Taylor and P. Clarke scoring for the victors. A strong away win before that one, visiting Harrogate Town and winning 1-0.
This is expected to be a close game, with Tranmere Rovers perhaps considered small favourites due to their home advantage. Looking back at earlier matches similar to this one (expected to be close with Tranmere as a small favourite), we find 14 games. Tranmere Rovers has won five of these, drawn three and lost six.
There will be little rest for Tranmere Rovers after this match as they are travelling to Port Vale for a League Two game in only three days.
The goals haven't exactly been flowing for Tranmere Rovers here at Prenton Park in the league, with less than one goal per game on average (4 from 5 games). On the other hand, Tranmere have conceded 5 goals.
Wigan Athletic form and stats
There's been little loot from Wigan Athletic's travels as they have only collected 3 points from 6 away games in the League One. Wigan Athletic only have 1 win to counter their 5 defeats and 0 draws. Bitter travels for Wigan as they have lost four games in a row away from home. The last time they avoided an away-from-home loss was the Portsmouth match. Three has not been a lucky number for Wigan as they have been defeated three times in a row since the Plymouth Argyle match.
Home advantage was not enough for Wigan Athletic in their previous game, as they lost their FA Cup-match, hosting Chorley (after extra-time), 2-3. A 0-1 defeat away at Blackpool before that.
A huge disappointment for Wigan in their last match (vs Chorley (after extra-time)). Leading 2-0 the victory seemed almost certain, but a fascinating collapse turned everything around and in the end all was lost in a 2-3 defeat.
So, this is expected to be a close game, an even contest. Looking at earlier matches with Wigan Athletic playing away and similar expectations, we found five relevant matches. Results were one Wigan Athletic win, zero draws and four defeats.
Wigan Athletic has another fixture away, a League One game, against AFC Wimbledon in just three days. A tough schedule for the visitors!
Wigan Athletic are seemingly not capable of scoring regularly on their travels in the league. They have only managed 2 goals from 6 away games. Wigan Athletic have conceded 10 goals in these games.
Head 2 Head
Top Goalscorers
  J. Vaughan 3 goals |   J. Garner 2 goals |  T. James 2 goals |
Tranmere Rovers missing players
Wigan Athletic missing players
| Tranmere Rovers | Wigan Athletic | ||||||
| Total | Home | Statistics | Stat | Away | Total | ||
| 25 | 13 | Played | P | 11 | 25 | ||
| 8 | 4 | Won | W | 2 | 8 | ||
| 7 | 3 | Drew | D | 2 | 5 | ||
| 10 | 6 | Lost | L | 7 | 12 | ||
| 22 | 11 | Scored | S | 8 | 38 | ||
| 32 | 16 | Conceded | C | 18 | 34 | ||
| 84% | 92% | Over 0.5 | O 0.5 | 91% | 92% | ||
| 64% | 69% | Over 1.5 | O 1.5 | 73% | 72% | ||
| 40% | 31% | Over 2.5 | O 2.5 | 45% | 48% | ||
| 20% | 8% | Over 3.5 | O 3.5 | 18% | 32% | ||
| 8% | 8% | Over 4.5 | O 4.5 | 9% | 24% | ||
| 36% | 31% | BTTS | BTTS | 27% | 40% | ||
| 28% | 23% | Clean Sheets | C S | 18% | 32% | ||
| 52% | 54% | Failed to Score | F T | 64% | 36% | ||
| 0 | 0 | Corners for (avg) | C F | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | Corners against (avg) | C A | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1.5 | 1.3 | Yellow cards (avg) | Y C | 1.7 | 1.4 | ||
| 2 | 1 | Red cards | R C | 2 | 3 | ||
| 220 | 116 | Total Shots | T S | 101 | 267 | ||
| 52 | 24 | Shots on Target | S O | 25 | 92 | ||
| 42% | 46% | Goal Efficiency | G E | 32% | 41% | ||
| Total | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | Newport County | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 25 |
| 2 | Cambridge United | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 4 | 16 | 23 |
| 3 | Forest Green Rovers | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 21 |
| 4 | Exeter City | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 20 |
| 5 | Carlisle United | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| 6 | Cheltenham Town | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 19 |
| 7 | Port Vale | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 19 |
| 8 | Crawley Town | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 17 |
| 9 | Morecambe | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 11 | -7 | 17 |
| 10 | Salford City | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 16 |
| 11 | Colchester United | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 16 |
| 12 | Walsall | 11 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 16 |
| 13 | Leyton Orient | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| 14 | Harrogate Town | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| 15 | Bradford City | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 12 |
| 16 | Grimsby Town | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | -3 | 12 |
| 17 | Tranmere Rovers | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | -5 | 12 |
| 18 | Barrow | 11 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 7 | -1 | 11 |
| 19 | Oldham Athletic | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 | -6 | 11 |
| 20 | Bolton Wanderers | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 11 | -8 | 10 |
| 21 | Stevenage | 11 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | -5 | 7 |
| 22 | Mansfield Town | 11 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -6 | 7 |
| 23 | Scunthorpe United | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | -13 | 4 |
| 24 | Southend United | 11 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | -20 | 2 |
| Total | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | Peterborough United | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 25 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 22 |
| 3 | Charlton Athletic | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 22 |
| 4 | Lincoln City | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 22 |
| 5 | Hull City | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| 6 | Sunderland | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 21 |
| 7 | Portsmouth | 11 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 9 | 20 |
| 8 | Plymouth Argyle | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 18 |
| 9 | Doncaster Rovers | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 17 |
| 10 | Fleetwood Town | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 16 |
| 11 | AFC Wimbledon | 11 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 14 |
| 12 | Blackpool | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -4 | 13 |
| 13 | Gillingham | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -5 | 13 |
| 14 | Accrington Stanley | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -1 | 12 |
| 15 | Bristol Rovers | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -5 | 12 |
| 16 | Rochdale | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 11 | -7 | 12 |
| 17 | Northampton Town | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 11 | -10 | 11 |
| 18 | Crewe Alexandra | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | -1 | 10 |
| 19 | Milton Keynes Dons | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | -2 | 10 |
| 20 | Swindon Town | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 11 | -5 | 9 |
| 21 | Oxford United | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 12 | -6 | 9 |
| 22 | Shrewsbury Town | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | -7 | 7 |
| 23 | Burton Albion | 11 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 12 | -8 | 7 |
| 24 | Wigan Athletic | 11 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 10 | -10 | 7 |