Morecambe (home)
- Morecambe FC’s 5-1 thrashing away to Southend United just three days ago will have hurt Jim Bentley, who has a pragmatist’s eye and will know that a solid, defensively sound side is what they need to have a chance of surviving in the National League.
- However, the squad is in disarray after a chaotic couple of years and it will take time to steady the ship.
- Morecambe are in 23rd place on 23 points from 32 games, while Eastleigh are 16th with 36 points.
- Morecambe are winless in their last five games, drawing 2 and losing 3.
Eastleigh (away)
- Eastleigh have five wins, four draws and eight losses away from home, conceding an average of 1.47 goals a game - which is not great, but much better than Morecambe.
- Eastleigh have some structure to their play, with manager Scott Bartlett bringing some balance to the side and favouring wide-play over keeping the ball.
- They are dangerous from set pieces and can be a threat on the counter-attack with their wide players.
Head-to-Head
- Eastleigh beat Morecambe 2-1 in their last National League meeting.
- That recent win gives Eastleigh a psychological edge heading into this fixture.
Key Players
- Aaron Blair leads the way in terms of firepower for Eastleigh with 12 goals in 25 National League games this season.
- Jack Nolan is the main weapon for Morecambe, netting seven times in 25 appearances and scoring two of their last five.
Betting Insights
Morecambe 2.29 to win and Eastleigh 2.83 to win, and the odds on goals suggest there is a chance this will be more open than the bookies think.
Prediction
- The game may be decided by a set-piece or second ball, so we’re going with a double chance for the visitors.
- It should be a close contest between Bentley’s pragmatic rebuild and Bartlett’s well-organised, width-based attack.
