Cheltenham Town V Tranmere Rovers - view from the opposition

The Whites will face table-toppers Cambridge United at Prenton Park on Monday, but first they head to Whaddon Road today, where they will face second-placed Cheltenham Town.

A win for Rovers would see them leap-frog their opponents, so we caught up with Gloucesteshire Live's Cheltenham reporter Jon Palmer to see what the opposition are saying.

Cheltenham are riding high in the table. Is this where supporters expected to be at the start of the season or is the team overdelivering?

After missing out in the play-offs last season, fans were hoping for another push for promotion to League One, but the team have still vastly exceeded expectations. The club have never won automatic promotion from League One before, so they have given themselves a chance to make a bit of history, with a modest budget for the level too. 

The Robins spent a period in the National League at the same time as Tranmere. What did fans make of that experience and has it changed how the club operates at all?

It was a case of needing to secure an immediate return to the Football League, or the club would have been affected far more than it was.

Thanks to Gary Johnson and his team, they did it in style, accumulating 101 points to storm back at the first attempt, avoiding the need to potentially go part-time, or make more redundancies.

The 1-0 win at Tranmere that season set a new record unbeaten run for the club, although Tranmere enjoyed a 1-0 win at Whaddon Road in what was Cheltenham's only home defeat of the season.

They continued to operate as they would have in League Two and it paid off for them. Johnson's achievement is definitely up there with the best in the club's existence, but he struggled to continue the good work after returning to League Two. 

Cheltenham enjoyed a fairly comprehensive victory against Rovers at Prenton Park back in September, when the club was under the managership of Mike Jackson. Are you expecting a different proposition this time round?

The first half performance that day was one of Cheltenham's most dominant of the season and the second period was something of a non-event as the damage had already been done from a Tranmere point of view. 

Everyone will be expecting a much bigger test on Friday, with Tranmere going well under ex-Robins defender Keith Hill and looking every bit capable of securing a return to League One. 

Who are the dangermen that Rovers should be wary of?

Liam Sercombe has been excellent in midfield since joining from Bristol Rovers last summer and left wing-back Chris Hussey's performance levels have been consistently high all year.

Skipper Ben Tozer is a key man in the middle of the back three and his long throw-ins have created plenty of goals this term. Sam Smith has made a positive impression up front, on loan from Reading since January. 

How much of a difference has playing behind closed doors at Whaddon Road made to the team this season?

Cheltenham have lost five at home, which is unlike them under Duff's management. It has definitely made results more unpredictable and it was such a shame no fans could be present for the Man City FA Cup tie, which really hammered home how much they are missed. It's been all the poorer without supporters, there is no doubt about it. 

What’s your score prediction for the match?

An entertaining 1-1 draw.

Finally, who do you think is going up this season?

I recently predicted Cheltenham, Bolton, Cambridge automatically and Exeter in the play-offs, so I'd better stick with that! But I would not be at all surprised if Hill takes Tranmere up, having done it twice with Rochdale and I'd like to see him do it as he's a top bloke at a club that belongs in the third tier. 

Danny Lloyd converts a penalty against Exeter City. Photo: Gaz Earnden

How to watch the match today

Of course, fans are still unable to attend matches but you needn't miss a kick of the action. Here's how you can follow the game today.

Watch the match live on Sky Sports

Cheltenham Town v Tranmere Rovers is being televised live on Sky Sports Football, with the programme starting at 2.30pm.

Sky channel 403. Virgin Media 503.

Get a NOW TV day pass

No Sky Sports subscription? No problem. NOW TV allows you to purchase a Sky Sports Day pass for a £9.99 one off payment.

NOW TV works through its own USB stick or the app can be download on any modern Smart TV, smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Listen to match commentary online

TRFC Radio will be broadcasting an audio stream of live match commentary from 2pm, with the usual commentary team.

An audio pass for the match costs £2.50 and can be purchased by clicking here.