The home fans are expecting three points in this fixture, as the home advantage should be put to good use versus a struggling visitor. Port Vale are in the 9th position while the guests worry at 22nd.
There’s little time for restitution or working hard at the training pitch these days, with both teams having played their last game less than four days ago.
Port Vale form and stats
19 points is a decent return from 9 League Two games here at Vale Park for Port Vale. The data says 5 wins, 4 draws and 0 losses.
The points were shared in Port Vale's previous game, also at home. Visiting Mansfield Town (placed 15th) travelled back with a point after a 2-2 scoreline. In the game before, an away victory in the FA Cup match versus Cheltenham Town with a 3-1 scoreline.
A case of two points dropped for Port Vale in the Mansfield Town match as a lead 3-1 was lost and what looked like a victory ended in a draw.
The hosts are modest favourites in this match, with the bookmakers estimating the chance of a home win at about 50% +- five percent. It's interesting to look at how Port Vale have performed under similar circumstances, so here are some numbers: When modest favourites like this (we found eight games) they have won 4 times, drawn 3 and lost 1.
Port Vale are certainly not overdoing their scoring at home in league matches, having created 13 goals in 9 games. From these home matches, Port Vale have conceded only 7 goals.
Walsall form and stats
Playing away, Walsall have won 3 games, drawn 1 and suffered 5 defeats in the League Two this season. Three consecutive losses in away matches means Walsall are growing more and more desperate for a good performance on the road.
Walsall won their last game, 3-2 versus Chelsea U21 played at home. The game before that, in the FA Cup, was lost at home, a 0-1 defeat against Oxford United.
What a finish in the last match, as Walsall came back from being down 0-2 and secured all three points through D. Scarr in the 90th minute.
Walsall are the outsiders in this one, but not by much. Their performance in similar games (being the away team and moderate outsiders) is 0 wins, 4 draws and 8 defeats. From a total of twelve matches.
The visitors have scored 7 goals from 9 away games in the league, an average of less than one per game. 13 goals have been conceded by Walsall in these games.
Head 2 Head
Head-to-head totals (for the last ten meetings): Port Vale won 5 games, 1 match ended with a draw and Walsall has 4 wins. Over 2,5 goals / under 2,5 goals: 3 / 7Top Goalscorers
  R. Bennett 4 goals | J. Taylor 4 goals |  N. Smith 3 goals |
Port Vale missing players
Walsall missing players
| Port Vale | Walsall | ||||||
| Total | Home | vs | Statistics | Stat | vs | Away | Total |
| 19 | 9 | 4 | Played | P | 1 | 9 | 19 |
| 7 | 5 | 2 | Won | W | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 7 | 4 | 2 | Drew | D | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Lost | L | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| 25 | 13 | 6 | Scored | S | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| 25 | 7 | 3 | Conceded | C | 0 | 13 | 26 |
| 95% | 89% | 75% | Over 0.5 | O 0.5 | 0% | 89% | 84% |
| 74% | 67% | 75% | Over 1.5 | O 1.5 | 0% | 56% | 58% |
| 47% | 44% | 50% | Over 2.5 | O 2.5 | 0% | 44% | 47% |
| 21% | 22% | 25% | Over 3.5 | O 3.5 | 0% | 22% | 16% |
| 11% | 0% | 0% | Over 4.5 | O 4.5 | 0% | 11% | 5% |
| 68% | 67% | 75% | BTTS | BTTS | 0% | 33% | 42% |
| 21% | 33% | 25% | Clean Sheets | C S | 100% | 33% | 32% |
| 16% | 11% | 25% | Failed to Score | F T | 100% | 44% | 42% |
| 5.8 | 7.1 | 8.2 | Corners For (avg) | C F | 4 | 5.8 | 5.9 |
| 5.3 | 4.7 | 4.2 | Corners Against (avg) | C A | 5 | 5.4 | 5.1 |
| 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.5 | Yellow Cards (avg) | Y C | 2 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Red Cards | R C | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 231 | 118 | 55 | Total Shots | T S | 8 | 91 | 216 |
| 90 | 53 | 23 | Shots on Target | S O | 3 | 33 | 79 |
| 28% | 25% | 26% | Goal Efficiency | G E | 0% | 21% | 18% |
- Port Vale has the most dropped points from leading position (19)
- Port Vale have not yet lost a game at home.
- Port Vale have won significantly more corners at home than away.
- Walsall has the fewest scored goals in the second half (4)
| Total | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | MP | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | P |
| 1 | Swindon Town | 19 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 32 | 22 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 11 | 10 | 36 |
| 2 | Forest Green Rovers | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 35 |
| 3 | Crewe Alexandra | 19 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 32 | 22 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 34 |
| 4 | Exeter City | 19 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 24 | 20 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 4 | 33 |
| 5 | Cheltenham Town | 18 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 28 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 31 |
| 6 | Northampton Town | 19 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 28 | 19 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 31 |
| 7 | Bradford City | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 26 | 18 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 31 |
| 8 | Plymouth Argyle | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 27 | 21 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 29 |
| 9 | Port Vale | 19 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 25 | 25 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 0 | 28 |
| 10 | Colchester United | 18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 23 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 27 |
| 11 | Newport County | 17 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 27 |
| 12 | Salford City | 19 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 23 | 28 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 16 | -5 | 25 |
| 13 | Cambridge United | 19 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 23 | 19 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 24 |
| 14 | Macclesfield Town | 19 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 18 | 21 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 15 | -3 | 23 |
| 15 | Mansfield Town | 19 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 26 | 26 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 21 |
| 16 | Scunthorpe United | 19 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 25 | 26 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 16 | -1 | 21 |
| 17 | Crawley Town | 19 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 25 | 31 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 17 | -6 | 21 |
| 18 | Grimsby Town | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 20 | 22 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 10 | -2 | 20 |
| 19 | Leyton Orient | 19 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 26 | 34 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 15 | -8 | 20 |
| 20 | Oldham Athletic | 18 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 19 | 26 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 16 | -7 | 19 |
| 21 | Carlisle United | 19 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 19 | 31 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 16 | -12 | 19 |
| 22 | Walsall | 19 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 26 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 13 | -12 | 19 |
| 23 | Stevenage | 18 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 11 | -9 | 14 |
| 24 | Morecambe | 19 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 35 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 21 | -19 | 14 |