Doncaster Rovers vs Barnsley Predictions

Doncaster’s form of late has waned; they remain inside the play-offs, though their fate is looking far less sealed than it was a few weeks ago. Donny are now without a win in five, though they did battle hard for a draw away against one of their chief top-six rivals on Tuesday evening, so Grant McCann’s men may not be feeling too downbeat.

Results haven’t gone Doncaster’s way of late, though it’s tough to say that they’ve been playing badly. McCann’s men drew during the week, while they lost away against AFC Wimbledon last weekend. However, despite losing at Kingsmeadow, they offered plenty going forward, so much so that they could have easily won, as the fact that they ended the game with an expected goal difference of +0.59 suggests.

Facing Barnsley, who’re currently in 2^nd place, will not be easy, even on home soil, though Doncaster’s overall home efforts at home this season will fill the hosts with confidence. Donny are now unbeaten in nine at Keepmoat, six of which they’ve won. During that time, they’ve looked very good going forward, scoring at least twice in eight of their last nine, four of which they’ve scored at least three goals in. Furthermore, they’re averaging a very pleasing 1.9 expected goals for in front of their own fans, while they’ve surrendered a respectable average of 1.22. From an underlying numbers point of view, Doncaster look solid.

While Donny have look good at home, Barnsley have looked very astute on their travels. Daniel Stendel’s men are currently unbeaten in seven on the road, while they’ve lost just three out of 18 away from home this season. They’ve also scored at least twice in four of their last five away games, scoring at least three in three of those. The Tykes boast and average of 1.74 expected goals for on their travels, while they’ve shipped an average of 1.2.

From a betting point of view, neither team make too much appeal at the current prices. Of the two, it’s not overly difficult to side with the hosts, despite recent form, though there’s more value to be by taking a different approach. At the prices, both ‘Over 2.5 Goals’ and ‘Over 3.5 Goals’ stand out. After all, we’re talking about two of League One’s best attacking teams, so it would be no surprise if the goal flowed at Keepmoat on Friday evening.

Doncaster, who’re currently League One’s fourth highest scorers, have created lots of chances and scored lots of goals at home this season, as the numbers above suggest, while Barnsley, who’re currently League One’s second highest scorers have offered a considerable amount in terms of both goals and chances on the road. With both ranking in the top four in terms of goals for and expected goals for, it’s easy to feel that each of the two selections are a little on large side, so supporting a high-scoring contest is very much the way to go.