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Rovers have won their last two trips to Vale Park and with Vale stuck to the bottom of League One and on the back of a midweek F.A. Cup defeat to Chasetown, Rovers will be hoping they can pick up their first away league win since October, but without Steven Jennings and Steve Davies, things won't be easy for Ronnie Moore's side.
Port Vale team profile:
Formed: 1876
Ground:
Manager: Lee Sinnott
Nickname: The Valliant's
Season Finish 2006/07: 12th (Coca-Cola League One)
Previous Meetings:
Last season saw both teams win the away meeting against their opponent in League One, although undoubtably the best game between Rovers and the Valients was the match at Vale Park in March.
The clubs first met on a Friday night encounter at Prenton Park in October and Port Vale took the points home thanks to a 2-1 win.
The visiters took the lead on 31-minutes when Smith found the bottom corner from 20-yards after Kevin Ellison had miss-hit a free-kick and Port Vale had carried the ball the length of the field.
In the fifth minute of injury time in the first half, Vale doubled their advantage sa Leon Constantine headed home a free-kick after the Rovers defence had failed to deal with a dubious free-kick.
Chris Greenacre got one back for Tranmere on 57-minutes as the former Stoke man (who always seems to net against Vale) rounded the 'keeper to score and put Rovers back in the game after Mullin's flick-on.
In March, Rovers got their revenge on Vale at Vale Park as they kept their play-off hopes alive with a good 3-2 away win.
Rovers held a 2-0 lead thanks to firstly a Greenacre header from a Shuker cross before the Tranmere front man netted from the penalty spot on 35-minutes after Shuker had been fouled in the area.
Port Vale pulled the game back however and after 73-minutes it was 2-2 after firstly Danny Sonner left Ward flat-footed with a deflected long range effort just a minute after Greenacre's penalty before Constantine scored from Sodje's pass after Ward had hesistated in coming out of the area to clear the ball.
However, on 83-minutes this topsy-turvy game had it's final turn as Kevin Ellison scored a fantastic header to give Rovers the win, with the former Rovers number 11 heading home from near the penalty from Shuker's terrific cross.
Vital Stats:
Tranmere have won 12 times in 43 trips to Port Vale, with the Valients picking up 18 home wins
Vale have won just three of their last 14 games against Rovers
Rovers have score 46 goals away to Port Vale, just 14 less than the Cheshire side
Non of the last 29 games between the two sides have ended 0-0
Port Vale have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 15 games against Tranmere
On This Day:
1998: Tranmere draw 1-1 with Bolton Wanderers in Division One
1989: Rovers win 1-0 against Rochdale in the Football League Trophy on their way to the final of the competition
1959: Tranmere win 4-2 at home to Mansfield Town in Division Three
From nine previous games on December 15th, Tranmere have picked up five wins, three draws and one defeat, scoring 15 goals and conceeding ten.
The Form Book:
Port Vale last 6 home games: DLLWLD
Tranmere last 6 away games: LWDWLL
It is fair to say that Port Vale's form this season has been anything but stunning and it is their form at Vale Park which is one of the main reasons as to why they currently lie bottom of the League One table.
In the first game of their six match sequence at home, Vale won 3-0 against fellow strugglers Cheltenham Town, but they have picked up just one win in five games since.
First the Valients, supported by pop-star Robbie Williams, lost 1-0 to Brighton and Hove Albion before winning 2-1 against Swindon.
These two results however have been followed by a draw and two defeats, as firstly lost 1-0 against local rivals Crewe before losing 3-1 to Sean O'Driscoll's Doncaster Rovers.
In their most recent home game the Valients dissapointingly drew 1-1 with non-league Chasetown in the F.A. Cup, a team who would knock them out of the competition in the replay thanks to a 1-0 win, a game which Vale could have won after Luke Rodgers missed two penalties.
Other than the Swindon and Cheltenham wins, Port Vale have failed to pick up another victory at home all season, although they did draw 1-1 with Bristol Rovers on the opening day of the season.
From a total of nine home league games, Port Vale have picked up just seven points from an available 27 thanks to two wins, a draw and six defeats.
On the road this season, notable results include a 2-1 win at Gillingham and a 1-0 win away to Bournemouth, both in League One, as well as a 2-0 F.A. Cup first round victory away to Morecambe.
Tranmere started the season superbly on the road, going unbeaten in their first five league games, but they have failed to win any of their last four on the road in League One.
In the first match of their six match sequence, Rovers lost 1-0 to a late Barry Corr goal away to Swindon before following this up with a 2-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest, with both goals again coming in the second half.
They then picked up a 2-1 win away to Chesterfield in the F.A. Cup first round before drawing 0-0 away to Doncaster despite playing nearly half the game with only 10 men.
A 3-0 win away to Bradford City in the F.A. Cup second round then followed thanks to two Chris Greenacre goals and one from Steve Jennings before Rovers lost 3-1 away to Hartlepool in their last away game on a Tuesday night.
Other notable away results for Tranmere include wins away to Gillinhgam (2-0), Carlisle United (1-0) and Southend United (2-1).
From nine away league games, Tranmere have managed three defeats, three wins and three draws, meaning they have picked up 12 points from an available 27.
Notable results at Prenton Park for Tranmere include wins over Luton Town (2-1), Huddersfield (3-0), Brighton and Hove Albion (2-0) and Bournemouth (3-1).
Double Hit:
One of the very few players who has "done them both" is former Rovers winger David Beresford, who finished his career at Macclesfield Town in 2006.
"Bezza" started his career with Oldham and made over 70 appearances for the club, as well as spending time on loan at Swansea, before moving to Huddersfield Town for £350,000 in 1997.
Beresford would stay at Town for four years, but made just 42 appearances for them, scoring three goals.
It was whilst he was with the Terriers that Beresford spent time not only on-loan at Preston, where he played six game in the 1999/2000 season, but also on-loan at Vale Park with Port Vale in 2000. The small winger made four appearances for the Valients, back then in League One.
At the end of the 2000/01 season, Beresford played for both Hull and Plymouth, signing for both on free transfers, as well as spending time on loan at Macclesfield Town before joining Tranmere in November 2003, then managed by Brian Little.
Beresford made 55 appearances for Rovers, of which around half were from the substitutes bench, and he scored four goals for the club, including increadibly a header against Bradford in an amazing 5-4 defeat as well as netting in Rovers 2-0 win against Hartlepool in the 2004/05 play-off semi-finals, the goal which put Rovers two up and level with the Monkey Hangers on aggregate.
At the end of that season though, Beresford joined Macclesfield. However, tragically his life was to be taken over as his wife caught cancer, and having made just 22 appearances for the club, Beresford, now aged 30, retired from the game to look after his wife.
One To Watch: Luke Rodgers
Striker Luke Rodgers joined Port Vale from Crewe in January 2007, and after a goal drought to start with, the former Shrewsbury man has been banging in the goals this season.
Rodgers, 25, started his career with Shrewsbury as a youngster and stayed with the club for six years after making his debut which came in the 1999/2000 season.
The Birmingham born striker made 204 clubs for Shrewsbury and netted on 73 occasions before joining Dario Gradi and Crewe in July 2005.
However, his stay at Crewe would last on 18 month, as he failed to make an impression with Railwaymen. Firstly behind Luke Varney in the pecking order, and then Nicky Maynard, Rodgers made 39 appearances for The Alex but 20 of them were as a substitute, and he netted nine goals for the club.
In January 2005 he joined Port Vale for £30,000 and has now played 32 games for the club, as well as scoring 13 goals, of which ten have come this season, his best strike rate at any of his three clubs.
A good finisher both in and around the box, Rodgers has decent pace and will make quick, darting runs into space when not on the ball. He wears the number ten shirt for the Valients.
Around League One:
As ever there are some important games around League One this weekend, with every team looking to get a win which will put them into good shape ahead of a hectic Christmas period, as well as perhaps kick-starting their season.
Friday night see's a clash between two teams in the bottom two as Luton travel to Cheltenham. Luton however are of course only in the bottom four due to a ten point deduction for going into administration and a win could see them move within three points of safety, they are however yet to win on the road this season. Cheltenham on the other hand can move within three points of safety with a win.
Other than that Friday night match, there are ten fixtures on Saturday in League One, with only Yeovil's trop to Doncaster being played on Sunday, a game which could see either team, both on 28 points, move within one point of the play-off places.
Undoubtably the clash that makes the mouth water this weekend is Carlisle United vs. Leyton Orient at Brunton Park. Orient currently lie second in the League One table whilst Carlisle are fourth having played a game less than the London side. A win for either team could see them top the table come 5pm on Saturday with only one point seperating the top four.
If Tranmere beat Port Vale on Saturday they can move to with in two points of the play-off places, depending on how results go around them of course, whilst Port Vale themselves lie 21st and fourth points adrift of 20th placed Millwall who play Oldham at The New Den this weekend.
Another big fixture on Saturday see's table-topping Swansea City, who booked their place in the F.A. Cup Second Round with a 6-2 replay win over Horsham on Monday night, take on Southend United at The Liberty Stadium. The Swans will be looking to improve their so far poor home form against a Southend side who won 2-1 last time out against Swindon and have won four times on the road this season, but recent form has seen the slim from second place to sixth in the promotion race, but they are only two points behind the top team Swansea.
Elsewhere, Leeds look to continue their recent good form as the travel to the Midlands to take on Walsall whilst Nottingham Forest are at home to Northampton, with only the Cobblers out of those four teams not currently lying above Rovers in the League One table.
Team News:
Again, Tranmere could have a number of selection problems ahead of Saturdays game. Steve Jennings will miss the game through suspension having picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Hartlepool whilst Davies (knee) and Ahmed (hamstring) are also both missing. Chris Shuker is a doubt for the game but Robbie Stockdale should be fit to start if selected.
Jones' Prediction: Port Vale 0-2 Tranmere Rovers
This is a game that Tranmere really should win and a chance for them to gain points and places on the teams above them. Although there are a number of players missing, Ronnie Moore's side should have enough to beat League One's bottom club.
With Zola and Greenacre upfront, Tranmere have suddenly started scoring again whilst the defence is still reasonably strong at the other end, especially with Danny Coyne between the sticks.
Jennings will be missed in midfield but Rovers should be able to compensate for his absense with either John Mullin or Antony Kay in midfield, a midfield that might create and score goals.