Accrington Stanley vs Barnsley Predictions

They’re without a league win in three, though Accrington regained the winning thread with a win over West Brom U23’s in the EFL Trophy a week and a half ago, while they built on that by winning in the FA Cup last Saturday. That said, they lost against Blackpool in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night, so John Coleman’s men will be looking to bounce back when taking on a more than useful Barnsley side this weekend.

Facing Barnsley is a tough task, though Accrington have played very well at home this season, so they may fancy their chances of doing well against the side that are currently second favourites to win League One.

When playing in front of their own fans, John Coleman’s men have impressed; they’ve continued to play the attacking football that served them so well in League Two, while they’ve done a good job of creating more than they’ve given up. Ten goals in nine home games isn’t the most eye-catching total and it doesn’t exactly suggest that Stanley are overly menacing, but the fact that they’re averaging 1.95 expected goals at home tells us that they should’ve scored a good few more.

Like Stanley at home, Barnsley have played well on their travels. The visitors have also done an excellent job of creating more than they’ve given away, while they’ve scored plenty of goals, notching 15 on the road in total.

With an average of 1.61 expected goals for and an average of 1.19 against, it’s easy to see that the Tykes are tough to face, though their recent away performances haven’t been too great. They gave plenty away against Shrewsbury last time out, while much of the same can be said for their previous away match against Charlton.

What is easy to see is that both teams are strong offensively, both have made light work of fashioning chances this season, while neither have tended to struggle when it comes to scoring at least once. Accrington have failed to find the net in just one of their nine home matches, while Barnsley have been shutout just twice in nine away games. Keeping this in mind, coupled with Accrington’s average of 1.95 expected goals for at home and Barnsley’s average of 1.61 away, ‘Both Teams to Score’ is the bet that stands out.