Port Vale (home)
- Port Vale have struggled at home.
- Darren Moore quickly instilled a pragmatic, defensive approach on his side who play a 3-5-2 or 3-4-1-2 system with a compact defensive block, good vertical transitions and a knack of scoring from set pieces.
- Port Vale have two wins, two draws and a defeat from their last five in all competitions.
- Port Vale beat Accrington Stanley 2-0 in the EFL Trophy, drew 1-1 at AFC Wimbledon in League One and lost 1-0 at Wigan Athletic last weekend.
- Vale Park has seen Port Vale win one, draw two and lose three of their six League One home games this season, scoring just five goals; our Port Vale vs Stockport County betting tips suggest this challenging home record could play a crucial role.
Stockport County (away)
- Stockport County are in better form and higher in the league than Port Vale.
- Stockport have a three-man defence that presses opponents off the ball and gets their wing-backs forward to create chaos.
- Stockport bring three wins, one draw and one defeat from their last five games.
- The most recent two games have been 1-0 home wins against Blackpool FC and Exeter City FC.
- This Port Vale vs Stockport County prediction takes into account Stockport's ten away goals in League One and an away record of W3, D2, L1.
Key Players
- The midfield battle may be more interesting as Port Vale’s Ryan Croasdale goes up against his former club on Monday.
- There’s a battle of the big, bruising strikers: Port Vale’s Devante Cole has four League One goals in seven appearances.
- Stockport’s Kyle Wootton has five goals in 13.
- Odin Bailey has got two goals in five for Stockport and could be a good shout for an anytime goal.
Betting Insights
- The Hatters are slight favourites with the bookmakers at 2.6.
- The Port Vale vs Stockport County betting tips highlight that 2.75 about Port Vale is the better play with the draw coming in at 3.1.
- The under 2.5 goals market at 1.65 also appeals here given both teams' defensive resilience and recent low-scoring games.
- Stockport County’s limited away goal return (ten) suggests this could be tight.
Prediction
- Stockport are rightful favourites here because of their position in the league, away form and current momentum.
- Moore’s side is a lot more physical than Challinor’s and home-field advantage could make this a bit of a battle.
- We’re taking the 2.75 odds on offer as Port Vale can certainly keep it close.
- The under 2.5 goals at 1.65 is an appealing alternate market.
