Blackburn vs Oldham Predictions

Blackburn will be hoping that the League Cup provides some respite after losing each of their first two Championship matches. Oldham will also be looking to bounce back, as they were beaten by Crewe in League Two on Saturday afternoon.

It’s been a poor start to the season for Tony Mowbray’s Blackburn, there can be no denying that. Rovers have struggled at both ends of the pitch, scoring just one and conceding four in two matches.

First time out against Charlton, despite playing on home soil, Tuesday’s hosts struggled massively. They dictated the tempo of the game with more than 60% of the ball, though they failed to do anything of note with that majority share, as they registered just two shots on target and created a measly 0.47 expected goals for. Frankly, based on everything that they created, they were somewhat fortunate to score. At the other end of the pitch, Rovers did little to prevent Charlton from enjoying themselves, as they conceded two goals and 1.58 expected goals. Guarding against the counter looked to be a big problem for Mowbray’s men.

Fortunately for the hosts, they’re up against an Oldham side that has also struggled to get going in the final third. First time out, Laurent Banide’s men failed to find the net when losing against Forest Green. Not only did they fail to score but they also created little, posting just 0.54 expected goals for. The fact that they registered zero shots on target was also displeasing.

Oldham were disappointing in the final third second time out too, as they lost against Crewe, despite playing in front of a home crowd. On that occasion, Latics did offer a bit more in terms of creativity, while they did get on the score-sheet, though as they registered just three shots on target, end-product was still an issue.

In the betting, ‘Under 2.5 Goals’ catches the eye. In two Championship games, Blackburn have lacked forward quality, while much of the same can be said for Oldham in League Two. Add in the fact that neither are likely to be overly bothered about this competition, what with the importance of league football, and it’s easy to envisage a lack of goals at Ewood Park on Tuesday evening. What’s more, when we include numbers such as 0.47 and 0.54, which is the amount of expected goals that the pair, who’ve registered just five shots on target combined this season, produced when playing at home and away on the opening day, the selection above looks slightly overpriced.