AFC Wimbledon vs Accrington Stanley Predictions

When Kwesi Appiah netted during the first half at Highbury Stadium, Wimbledon took the lead for the second week running, though Wally Downes’ men once again came off second best, as they allowed Fleetwood to come from behind and take all three points. Now back on their own patch, the Dons will be hoping to beat an Accrington side that has had a lengthy preparation period after their game with Bury was called off.

Wimbledon’s effort against Fleetwood was much like their effort against Rotherham. They started the game reasonably well, but their threat quickly waned. Going forward, the Dons created just 0.59 expected goals for, so you could even argue that they were a tad fortunate to get on the score-sheet, while they failed to prevent Fleetwood from making headway, surrendering 1.77 expected goals. Against Rotherham the week before, Wally Downes men posted 0.54 for and conceded 1.76, so improvement wasn’t evident.

One thing that the Dons have done is battle hard. They’ve resisted for long periods and have shown that they’re a side that is unlikely to receive too many heavy defeats. That said, such a workmanlike style needs to be complimented by quality in the final third or they’ll find themselves in another relegation scrap.

Accrington were afforded the day off last Saturday, as they’re game against Bury, who’re on the verge of Football League expulsion, was postponed. Having had nearly two weeks to prepare for their trip south, John Coleman’s men will be hoping to do better than they did on match-day one.

It was of course the first game of the season, while they were up against strong opposition, but Accrington’s efforts were somewhat disappointing. Going forward, they struggled to make their mark, as they posted a subdued 0.89 expected goals for, while they failed to restrict their opponents, conceding 2.32. Such numbers suggest that their defeat was absolutely warranted.

Despite being somewhat disappointing against both Rotherham and Fleetwood, Wimbledon look a good bet to come out on top on Saturday. Now against opposition that isn’t likely to challenge for the top six, the Dons should be much more comfortable. Moreover, against a less creative side, a side that looked relatively easy to breach on the opening day, it’s easy to envisage Wally Downes’ pragmatic approach yielding a result. After all, the Dons lost just one (out of seven) home games against bottom half teams after Downes took charge last term.

Those looking to bag the correct score can back the Dons to win by a goal to nil. Neither side is likely to rank highly in terms of either creativity or goal-scoring this term, but Wimbledon are often a sturdy outfit on their own patch, so much so that backing them to edge ahead appears to be the best option.