Latics welcome historic rivals Tranmere Rovers to Boundary Park for a Sky Bet League Two clash (7:45pm KO).
Oldham had a rare weekend off due to the fact that they were out of the Emirates FA Cup, but may still be on a high from victory last time out in the Papa John’s Trophy.
A goal from Harry Vaughan was enough for Latics to secure qualification to the next knockout round in a 1-0 win at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland.
Form Guide
Tranmere come into this game on a mixed run of form.
In the league, they have won one of their previous six meetings, whilst last time out they were also knocked out of the FA Cup at the hands of Leyton Orient.
Rovers are still very much in contention for promotion, they are just four points away from a place in the play-off spots with a game in hand on most of the sides above them as well.
They were part of Oldham’s Papa John’s Trophy group and they will be hoping to join Latics in the next knockout round when they welcome Harrogate Town to Prenton Park.
Rovers’ Last Six:
- Leyton Orient 4-0 Tranmere Rovers (Emirates FA Cup Round Two)
- Tranmere Rovers 2-1 Bradford City
- Bristol Rovers 2-2 Tranmere Rovers
- Tranmere Rovers 0-1 Sutton United
- Tranmere Rovers 3-2 Latics (Papa John's Trophy Group Stage)
- Crawley Town 0-1 Tranmere Rovers (Emirates FA Cup Round One)
Head-to-Head
Meetings: 92
Latics wins: 36
Tranmere wins: 34
Draws: 22
Scored: 129
Conceded: 132
This will be the third time that the two clubs have met already this season.
The previous encounters have come in other competitions; the Carabao Cup and the Papa John’s Trophy.
The last one saw Rovers come out on top at Prenton Park. Zak Dearnley netted twice in the first half to give Latics a two-goal lead.
However, a goal on the stroke of halftime from Paul Glatzel would set the tone for the second half and a goal from Nicky Maynard as well as a second from Glatzel saw Rovers claim victory.
The result didn’t turn out to be too much of an issue as Latics did qualify in second place from the group thanks to their earlier win over Salford City.
In the Carabao Cup game at Boundary Park, it was Oldham who successfully overturned a two-goal deficit.
Dylan Bahamboula and an own goal cancelled out a lead given to the visitors by Sam Foley and Elliot Nevitt and the hosts were able to keep their nerve in the penalty shootout to book their place in the second round.
Watch Out For
Latics will probably remember the damage caused by Paul Glatzel the last time that the two clubs met.
Since opening his account with a brace over Oldham, the forward has been much more involved in the Tranmere squad and he has rewarded his manager’s loyalty.
He has netted in both of Rovers’ previous two league meetings, scoring the winning goal against Bradford City and the equaliser against Bristol Rovers.
The youngster finds himself at Tranmere Rovers thanks to a loan deal from their city counterparts Liverpool.
Glatzel, 20, has been a part of the setup at Liverpool since under 9s and this season is his first spent away from the club.
Yet to make an appearance for his parent club, his professional debut came this season in Tranmere’s 1-0 win over Walsall.
He has an interesting international career already, having represented youth sides for both England and Germany.
Familiar Faces
There are a few familiar faces in the Tranmere squad.
Firstly, Peter Clarke is a former Latic and he enjoyed three good seasons with the club.
The 39-year-old played 124 times for the football club where the centre half scored an impressive 15 times.
Another name that Oldham fans may remember is Emmanuel Dieseruvwe.
The 26-year-old spent a brief spell on loan with Latics from Salford City but he suffered injury issues that limited his game time to just four appearances.
In The Dugout
Micky Mellon is the man in the dugout for the visitors.
Mellon is currently enjoying his second spell in charge at Prenton Park.
His first top job in the game came with Fleetwood Town. He let Town to two promotions during his tenure.
Other than a brief spell as Barnsley caretaker boss, his next job was Shrewsbury Town before his first spell with Tranmere.
His next opportunity took him north of the border with Dundee United. He left after the 2020/21 season with United finishing ninth.
Match Officials
The official in the middle for the game is Andy Haines.
Haines last officiated a Latics game in March 2021 as we played out a goalless draw away at Bradford Cty. On that day, he handed out two yellow cards and zero red cards.
He's taken charge of 18 games, so far, this campaign, handing out a total of 50 yellow cards and zero red cards.
Haines will be assisted by Simon Clayton and Lewis Raper, with Matthew Parry as the Fourth Official.
Sky Bet Odds
Tranmere Rovers are favourites to win the third meeting between the two clubs, currently priced at 29/20.
Latics are 17/10 to make it two wins on the bounce whilst 23/10 is the price available for the game to end in a draw.
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How To Follow The Game
Live match action on the £10 'match pass' is available on iFollow Latics in the UK and overseas for supporters who can't attend in person, with Roy Butterworth and Michael Brown talking you through the match action.
For more information, visit the iFollow Latics page by clicking here.
Alternatively, supporters can also follow the game with live updates on the club's official Twitter account: @OfficialOAFC.