Tranmere should prove too strong for non-league rivals Oxford City

FA Cup first-round replay
BT Sport 1, 7.45pm Tuesday

National League SouthOxford City came agonisingly close to causing a FA Cup first-round shock against Tranmere but the sixth-tier minnows may not be able to replicate that performance at Court Place Farm.

City led with eight minutes of normal time remaining at Prenton Park thanks to a stunning hat-trick from Kabongo Tshimanga but Sky Bet League Two top scorer James Norwood earned Tranmere a replay with a 89th-minute leveller.

Norwood’s goalscoring quality has been evident throughout the League Two season. He has helped fire Micky Mellon’s team into the playoff positions and is likely to be the key man if Rovers are to see off their non-league opponents.

While a promotion bid will be Mellon’s top priority, there is motivation for Tranmere to secure a victory which would tee up a winnable second-round tie at home to Southport and a potentially lucrative third-round draw.

They will have to play better than they did at Prenton Park, where City came close to causing the upset and were good value for the result, matching the hosts for shots on target and holding 47 per cent of possession.

While City can take heart from that performance, they are likely to encounter a tougher, more determined Tranmere team on Court Place Farm’s 3G pitch.

The surface shouldn’t cause too many problems for Mellon’s men, who experienced artificial conditions at Bromley, Maidstone and Sutton on the way to being promoted from the National League last season – they won all three of those matches.

City are likely to give another excellent account of themselves but Tranmere have picked up some striking results since returning to the Football League including victories over Exeter and Lincoln.

Mellon deployed a strong team in the 3-3 draw and will be expecting Tranmere’s class to see them through.

Recommendation
Tranmere
1pt 3-4 general

Bet on this match at Soccerbase.com

Team news
Oxford City
Sam Nombe, Reece Flint, Kabongo Tshimanga and Joe Oastler are all available after being rested on Saturday.

Tranmere
Micky Mellon has no fresh injury concerns.

Key stat
Tranmere won all three of their matches played on artificial surfaces in the National League last season.

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