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With Tranmere currently sixth in League One and their opponents Yeovil in fourth, the match could have huge importance on the promotion race, as a win for Yeovil could lift them upto third whilst Rovers could end Saturday just two points behind the Glovers.
Yeovil Town team profile:
Formed: 1895
Ground: Huish Park
Manager: Russell Slade
Nickname: The Glovers
Season Finish 2005/06: 15th (Coca-Cola League One)
Previous Meetings:
Tranmere Rovers have enjoyed playing Yeovil in the past, picking up an impressive seven points out of a possible nine, with a win and a draw last season under Brian Little.
This season and under Ronnie Moore, Tranmere won 2-1 thanks to first goals in a Rovers shirt for John Mullin and Kevin Ellison.
Ellison gave Rovers the lead on 35-minutes, netting from just outside the penalty area after a brilliant counter attack before Cohen levelled for Yeovil on half time.
Tranmere pushed for the winner in the second half as they looked to maintain their 100% home record under Ronnie Moore and they got it thanks to John Mullin on 54 minutes from just inside the area.
Rovers thought they had a third just before the final whistle as Shane Sherriff flicked the ball into the net from a corner but the goal was ruled out for pushing by the Australian.
However, Tranmere held on to win as they went from strength to strength and pushed up the League One table over the next month or so.
Vital Stats:
In three previous meetings, Tranmere have never lost to Yeovil
Chris Greenacre has scored four goals in three games for Rovers against the Glovers
Every time Tranmere have played Yeovil they have scored atleast two goals
February 17th 2001 was the day on which Tranmere drew 0-0 with Southampton in the F.A. Cup Fifth Round, and everybody knows what happened in the replay of that game
Rovers haven't won any of their last six games against opposition south of Birmingham
The Form Book:
Yeovil last 6 home games: LWWDDW
Tranmere last 6 away games: LLLDDD
Home form for Yeovil this season has been mainly good, as they have picked up an impressive nine wins and thre draws from 16 games, totaling 30 points from a possible 48.
In their last six home games, they have lost just once, their most recent home game against Millwall (1-0) and also won on three occassions.
Prior to the defeat to Millwall, Town had indeed won two in a row, beating Brentford (1-0) and Huddersfield (3-1) and were on a run of five home games without defeat.
The other three games in the sequence of six matches saw them draw with Bradford City (0-0), Northampton Town (0-0) and beat Gillingham (2-0).
Other notable results at Huish Park for Russell Slade and Yeovil Town this season see them having beat Oldham Athletic (1-0), Port Vale (1-0) and Bristol City (2-1).
Things have not been good on the road for Tranmere of late, as they are currently seven away games withot a win and have lost three consecutive matches on the road.
Their last two games have seen them fail to hit the back of the net too, as they have lost to Oldham (1-0) and Gillingham (2-0), live on Sky TV, following a 3-2 defeat to Bristol City, a game which Rovers lead 2-0 at half time.
The three draws however were all reasonably decent results. Rovers came from behind to draw 1-1 with Brentford and came from 1-0 down to draw 2-2 with Huddersfield on Boxing Day, whilst they also drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground after leading through a Gareth Taylor header.
Other noteable away results for Tranmere this season include a 1-0 win at Brighton, 2-0 win at Chesterfield, 3-1 win at Northampton and draws with Swansea City (0-0) and Scunthorpe United (1-1).
Double Hit:
With Yeovil spending nearly all their time as a football club in none-league football, we struggled to find a player who had played for both Tranmere Rovers and Yeovil, so this feature will be an absentee on this week's Match Preview.
One To Watch:
The Yeovil player to watch out for is on-loan striker Leon Best, who has joined the Glovers from Championship side Southampton.
Best, 22, stands at 6'1 tall and started his career at Southampton in the 2004/05 season after coming through the ranks at St. Mary's and he made five appearances in his first season for with the Saints without scoring.
In the same season, Best joined Queens Park Rangers on loan, making five appearances at Loftus Road without scoring but it was the next season when the pacey striker made his break through.
Best spent two spells on loan at Hillsborough with Sheffield Wednesday, scoring his first two senior goals in 13 games for The Owls as well as making a further three appearances for Southampton.
Coming into the 2006/07 season, Best joined Bournemouth two days before the start of the new season and made 17 appearances in three months with the Southern based club, scoring three more goals before signing for Yeovil on November 23 2006, where his career has taken off and his profile has risen dramatically.
Best has now played 13 times for Yeovil (once as substitute) and scored an impressive nine goals, well over doubling his goal tally since joining the club.
A fine finisher from both inside and outside the box with pace and strength, Best is a fine replacement for Phil Jevons who joined Bristol City from Yeovil in the summer of 2006.
Team News:
Rovers have a number of selection problems, with Carl Tremarco (one match suspension) and John Thompson (medial ligaments) definately missing out. Doubts also hang over the fitness of Kevin Ellison, John Mullin and Ian Goodison although Shane Sherriff should be fit to play whilst John Achterberg is set to continue in goal.
Jones' Prediction: Yeovil Town 3-0 Tranmere