FA Cup · 1/128-finals 
Our pick Home win Correct result
Barnet and Tranmere meet again with FA Cup progress at stake
Barnet have won all three of the sides’ last meetings, including a 2-1 victory at Tranmere in October. The League Two promotion contenders now face each other for a place in the next round of the FA Cup.
📍 The Hive Stadium
Preview written:
Match report
Final result: Barnet 3-0 Tranmere.
Match statistics (home team first). Shots: 13–10; Shots on target: 5–2; Corners: 8–4.
Goals
- 80' Kane Smith · Tom Knowles · Barnet
- 90' Nnamdi Ofoborh · Damola Ajayi · Barnet
- 90+6' Damola Ajayi · Barnet
Cards
- 36' Jordan Turnbull · Tranmere
- 39' Oliver Scott · Tranmere
- 76' Charlie Jay Whitaker · Tranmere
- 88' Darrell James Clarke · Tranmere
Match stats
Ratings and statistics: API-Football.
Confirmed lineups
Barnet
- 13M. CoxG
- 4D. CollingeD
- 5A. SeniorD
- 3R. Crichlow-NobleD
- 25N. TavaresD
- 23J. ReevesM
- 8C. LakinM
- 22oisin gallagherM
- 14B. ComleyM
- 9J. MaskellF
- 11I. KanuF
Coach: Dean Brennan
Tranmere
- 1L. McGeeG
- 22L. O'ConnorD
- 5N. SmithD
- 4J. TurnbullD
- 6W. VaulksD
- 11T. ConlonM
- 10T. InceM
- 14olly scottM
- 7Charlie Jay WhitakerM
- 9J. IronsideF
- 29D. JonesF
Coach: D. Clarke
Match facts
Goals per game
| · | Scored | Conceded |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Tranmere | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Last meetings
- 2026 Tranmere 1-2 Barnet
- 2026 Barnet 1-0 Tranmere
- 2025 Tranmere 0-2 Barnet
PreviaXI model
Model confidence: Strong
- Expected goals (model)
- 2.28 – 1.06
- Double chance
- 1X · 84%12 80% · X2 36%
- Over 2.5 goals
- 65%Over 1.5: 85% · Over 3.5: 43%
- Both teams score
- 59%
- Clean sheet
- 35% – 10%Barnet–Tranmere
- Half-time result
- 1 · 48%X 35% · 2 17%
- Half-time / full-time
- 1/1 · 43%X/1 18% · X/X 11%
Statistical model based on expected goals (xG), results and match statistics from the last two seasons. For information only. How our model works →
A cup place and a league statement
Barnet have won all three of their last meetings with Tranmere, and the latest was only weeks ago: a 2-1 League Two victory away from home in October. That recent result gives the hosts a clear reference point as the sides meet again in the FA Cup’s 1/128-finals, where progressing means a place in the next round and elimination ends their cup run.
The league positions underline the contrast in their campaigns. Barnet are second in League Two with 26 points from 13 matches, while Tranmere sit 11th on 19 points after 14. Both are competing in the same division, but Barnet arrive with the stronger position and the chance to turn that advantage into another cup result.
Similar league runs, different latest results
Each side has taken two wins and two draws from its last five league games, alongside one defeat. Barnet’s most recent match ended in a draw; Tranmere’s latest was a win, giving the visitors a positive note to carry into the tie.
That balance suggests Tranmere are not short of recent momentum, even as Barnet hold the higher league standing. The cup offers both clubs a chance to make progress beyond the weekly demands of League Two.
Barnet hold the recent edge
Barnet have won all three of the last meetings, with no Tranmere victory and no draw in that sequence. The most recent meeting, Tranmere 1-2 Barnet in October, is a particularly close guide: the visitors have already shown they can win at this ground’s opponents’ home venue, but Tranmere came within a goal.
Two of those three meetings had two goals or fewer, so the head-to-head record points to competitive contests rather than a string of high-scoring games.
The promotion race in focus
Barnet’s second-place position makes a cup win an opportunity to reinforce the momentum of a strong league campaign. For Tranmere, currently 11th, progressing would provide a route into the next round and a result against a side above them in the table.
Our prediction
Barnet’s higher league position and three straight wins in this fixture’s recent history give them the edge. Tranmere’s recent league win suggests they can make the tie competitive, but the numbers lean towards the home side creating more and advancing.
Barnet 2-1 Tranmere
⚑ Report a mistakeEditorial policy
FA Cup table All previews that day
More FA Cup previews
FA Cup 
Accrington ST 
Wycombe Our pick Home win Missed
Accrington Stanley and Wycombe meet in the FA Cup first round with a place in the next stage at stake. Accrington’s League Two form faces the test of a Wycombe side from League One.
Read preview FA Cup 
AFC Hornchurch 
Blackpool Our pick Home win
AFC Hornchurch arrive on the back of a four-goal FA Cup win, but Blackpool bring the higher-division pedigree. Their contrasting league form makes this a test of whether Hornchurch’s cup momentum can outweigh Blackpool’s greater level of competition.
Read preview FA Cup 
Barnsley 
Aldershot Town Our pick Home win Correct result
Aldershot Town arrive on the back of a cup win, while Barnsley are looking for a lift amid a difficult League One run. Progression would offer each club a valuable change of focus.
Read preview FA Cup 
Boreham Wood 
Wigan Our pick Home win Missed
Boreham Wood’s National League title pace meets Wigan’s League One fight in a first-round tie with very different stakes. Progress would give either club a valuable boost—and a chance to extend its cup journey.
Read preview