Bradford vs Scunthorpe Predictions

• 66% of Bradford’s points have been earned at home.
• The 29 points earned on home soil by Bradford represents the best home record in League 2
• Scunthorpe have scored in 77% of their away matches.
• Scunthorpe have scored in each of their last eight away matches.

Strength at home

Whenever a side drops down a division, their plans for immediately gaining promotion back to the league above will usually require a the side to ensure they make their home stadium a fortress, and for Bradford City that is exactly what they have managed to achieve. The Bantams go into this weekend’s match with the best home record in League 2 as they have managed to accumulate 29 points from their 13 games at Valley Parade.

The fact that two thirds of their points have come whilst Bradford have been on home soil shows just how important their home games are to their promotion bid, and Bradford will be be confident that they will be able to add to that tally this weekend as they have won three of their last four home league matches. However, the fact that they have dropped points on the road more recently will have dented their confidence and should mean that they have a point to prove this Saturday.

Building after a slow start

Speaking of sides who are rebuilding following demotion into the bottom tier of the Football League, Scunthorpe United have not quite had the first half of the season that their hosts enjoyed. The visitors found wins hard to come by for much of the early stages of the season and their fans would have been forgiven for fearing the worst as the club were looking like they were staring down the barrel of a second successive relegation.

While they are far from out of the woods, the visitors enjoyed a pretty strong festive period and have put some distance between themselves and the relegation spot. However, things have taken a turn for the worst once more as they come into this match having lost four of their last five league matches. When you factor in their pretty ordinary record on the road, it could prove to be a long afternoon despite the relatively short trip.

The hosts should prove too strong

All in all, Bradford City look like the stronger team and they should be more than capable of taking the three points this weekend. The hosts may not be in the best form at the moment but they are strong on home soil and know that they can ill afford to allow their promotion rivals to get away from them. Meanwhile, their visitors are far from at their best and with the side frequently conceding goals, it seems unlikely that they will be able to keep the opposition at bay.

In terms of a correct score tip, the hosts may not be the most free-flowing side in the league but they average a solid 1.54 goals per game at home and are against a side who have conceded an average of 1.46 goals per game on the road. When you factor in that the visitors have scored in 77% of their away matches, including each of their last eight, then it is likely that Bradford will have to score more than once to get the win. With this in mind, backing a 2-1 home win looks to be the way to go.