Barnsley vs Scunthorpe Predictions

Barnsley would’ve been looking for a fourth straight win away against Oxford during the week, though considering that they found themselves two goals down, Daniel Stendel’s men probably won’t have been too displeased with a point. Now back on their own patch, the Tykes will be hoping to re-enter the winner’s enclosure.

The Tykes did deliver a rare poor performance in the week; they weren’t quite at it offensively, while they certainly weren’t at their usual level from a defensive point of view. However, punters shouldn’t judge them too harshly for that effort. After all, Barnsley have been very good on their own patch of late.

They may not have been at their best in the week, but Barnsley have carried out plenty of encouraging work at home of late. Stendel’s men have won each of their last four on home soil, while they remain unbeaten at Oakwell this season. Moreover, they’re averaging a pleasing 1.71 goals per home game and are averaging 1.79 expected goals for. Such numbers tell us that they’ve had absolutely no problem either creating or scoring. They have let teams in a few times of late, conceding in four of their last six in front of a home crowd, though they almost always create considerably more than they give away, which is not something that Scunthorpe have made a habit of doing on their travels.

Scunthorpe were victorious on their travels last weekend, but it must be said that they were very fortunate to return from Highbury Stadium with all three points. Fleetwood offered more in all areas and were unlucky not to get at least a draw. The Iran have certainly improved their fortunes away from home of late, as they’ve now won three away games on the bounce, though their efforts haven’t been overly convincing from an attacking point of view. Stuart McCall has certainly got his side to toughen up and they’re now not easy to walk all over, but unless they start to create a bit more offensively, then they could easily start to come up short again.

However, despite a lack of creativity, Scunthorpe have clearly thrived on the counter of late, so they ought to enjoy that fact that Barnsley are likely to dictate and play on the front foot. It will be interesting to see is Scunny, who’ve conceded an average of 1.7 expected goals on the road this season, can withstand Barnsley’s pressure, but given the above, they cannot be dismissed going forward.

In the betting, Barnsley to Win & Both Teams to Score’ stands out at the prices. The hosts have started to wobble ever so slightly at the back in recent weeks, though their attacking efforts at home suggest that they ought to be capable of outscoring the Iron, who rode their luck last weekend.