Doncaster Rovers vs Lincoln City Predictions

After a subdued start to the campaign, Doncaster got off the mark last time out, as a late own goal from Fleetwood’s Wes Burns sparked a 3-2 win. After that victory, Darren Moore’s men will be hoping to register another three points when they welcome Lincoln to Keepmoat on Saturday afternoon. The Imps will be looking to bounce back after tasting defeat for the first time this term on Tuesday evening.

Donny did pick up their first win of the season last weekend, which as far as they’re concerned will be the main thing, though they didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory from a performance point of view. From a defensive point of view, it was the first time that the Yorkshire side had looked easy to get at this term. They conceded 14 shots, eight of which troubled keeper Ian Lawlor, while they also surrendered a rather worrying 2.65 expected goals.

Offensively, Donny did carry a threat, while they certainly tried to be proactive with 15 shots, five of which hit the target. However, in terms of clear-cut opportunities, they created less than their opponents, posting only 0.98 expected goals for. Such a number tells us that Moore’s men were fortunate to come out on top.

Lincoln tasted defeat for the first time on Tuesday night, as they lost 2-1 away against MK Dons, but the result doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. Having registered more than double the shots and shots on target of their hosts, the Imps deserved more, and were unlucky not to take a share of the spoils when Jason Shackell’s effort cannoned back off the crossbar in the dying moments. The result wasn’t what Danny Cowley wanted, though the boss will undoubtedly be pleased with the way his side played.

As far as betting is concerned, this is a tricky fixture. Neither side appeals greatly at the current prices. One bet that does stand out is ‘Both Teams to Score – NO’. Doncaster and Lincoln have scored in 100% of their matches this term, though if we scratch beneath the surface, it’s not difficult to feel that backing at least one to falter on Saturday offers some value at the current prices.

For all Doncaster have scored in three out three, they’re averaging just 0.8 expected goals for, which if maintained is likely to mean that the goals dry up sooner rather than later. Add in the fact that they didn’t give much away before conceding twice against Fleetwood, surrendering just 0.39 and 1.02 expected goals, couple it with the fact that Lincoln’s worst attacking performance came when facing decent opposition on the road – the Imps produced just 0.31 expected goals for away against Rotherham – and we can conclude that the chances of both notching are slightly less than the odds available suggest. Lincoln have also conceded in just one out of four.

‘Correct Score’ punters might try a narrow win for the visitors, who’ve generally looked the better of the two teams, especially in terms of keeping teams at bay before profiting at the other end.