Accrington Stanley vs Colchester Predictions

After losing away at Grimsby a few weeks ago, Colchester could’ve slipped from their lofty perch, though the Essex side have won each of their two matches and continue to be one of the front-runners in League Two. Having won each of their last two, the hosts will be feeling confident ahead of their FA Cup encounter against League One’s Accrington.

Since making the step up to League One, Accrington have seemingly gone from strength to strength. John Coleman’s men have rarely been bettered in the third division this season; they’ve lost just three games since the start of the campaign, while they’re unbeaten at home since the beginning of August.

On their own patch is where Stanley have really thrived. The hosts haven’t lost since the opening day of the campaign, while they’ve been posting some excellent figures at Crown Ground. At present, Accrington, who’re currently the seventh best team in League One in terms of expected goals for, are averaging an impressive 1.95 expected goals for at home, while they’re conceding just 1.01 on average. Such stats bode well ahead of a game against League Two opposition.

While Accrington have done very well at home, Colchester have been a bit up and down on their travels in League Two. Saturday’s visitors have lost just two of their eight away games, though they’ve only won two, while their performances haven’t been overly impressive. On occasions, Colchester have acquitted themselves well, though they have at times given a lot away, which is worrying ahead of a game against one of League One’s better attacking units.

The way in which both Oldham and Stevenage hurt the visitors, clocking 4.76 expected goals between them, suggests that Accrington really ought to thrive on Saturday. The hosts have managed to overpower several League One teams at Crown Ground this season, so they ought to be more than capable of really getting at a Colchester side that haven’t always looked secure in League Two.

At the prices, ‘Accrington to Score Over 1.5 Goals’ stands out at the prices. Not only are the hosts averaging an impressive 1.95 at home in the division above Colchester, but the visitors have often performed as though a strong attacking side like Stanley would really hurt them. As touched on above, both Oldham and Stevenage ran riot against this Colchester back-line, so a side of Accrington’s quality should have no problem both creating chances and scoring goals.