Tranmere v Forest Green: Wirral outfit have edge ahead of final
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Two very different clubs are fighting for one enormous prize in the National League play-off Final on Sunday.
Fallen giants Tranmere Rovers are looking to return to the EFL after two years in Non-League, while Forest Green Rovers’ aim is to secure Football League status for the first time in their 128-year history.
And we think it’s the Wirral club who have enough to edge the Wembley showpiece.
It’s hard to split this pair on their Head-to-Head record, but Tranmere certainly head into the Final in better form.
Micky Mellon’s men have won seven of their last 10 games, scoring an impressive 27 goals in that period. FGR, meanwhile, have won just four of their previous 10.
The Gloucestershire outfit also froze on the big stage last season, putting in a limp play-off Final display as they lost 3-1 to Grimsby Town. So there’s reason to believe they could suffer from stage-fright once again.
In the match betting, Tranmere are 11/8 to win in 90 minutes, with the Green 2/1 shots and level-pegging at 9/4.
However, the best value looks to be elsewhere – starting in the goalscorer markets.
For the North-West side, striker Andy Cook has chalked up 23 goals this season. He’s 7/5 to net in 90 minutes, while 4/1 says he nets the opener for the 13th time in the campaign.
But FGR have a goal machine of their own in the form of powerful forward Christian Doidge. The Welshman is the division’s second-highest scorer this term with 26, and he’s also 7/5 to register on the big stage.
With so much attacking talent on show, we’re guaranteed goals. In fact, Tranmere have found the net in 12 of their last 13 outings, while FGR have scored in seven of eight. That all makes the 3/4 on the table for Both Teams to Score look like a banker.
However, if you’re looking for some long-shot success, you could do worse than backing the Prenton Park club come from behind and win.
They’ve done just that on five occasions this season, and there’s 12/1 for Mellon’s side to win in that dramatic fashion once again.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
