Doncaster Rovers vs Scunthorpe Predictions

Doncaster continued to deploy their attacking approach to good effect last weekend, as they brushed aside Bristol Rovers, winning by four goals to nil away from home. That match was yet another example of how devastating Donny can be in the final third. If they deliver a similar effort against a leaky Scunthorpe side, then it would be a surprise if they failed to extend their winning run.

After their excellent win last weekend, Grant McCann’s men will come into this match full of confidence and rightly so. After all, if they can score four goals on the road against Bristol Rovers, then scoring goals at home against a dodgy Iron rear-guard ought to be relatively straightforward.

Doncaster haven’t always got the right result at home this season, though their overall performances have been pleasing. Not only has McCann got his side playing attacking football, but he has made them look a threat, both when forcing the issue or playing on the break. What’s more, they’re not easy to beat; only two teams have visited Keepmoat and returned with all three points.

From a creativity point of view, Donny have impressed at home. They’re averaging 1.85 expected goals for, which tells us that they’re useful at forging decent scoring opportunities, while it also tells us that they probably should’ve scored more than the 14 home goals that they have. Either way, such a figure bodes well ahead of this match, as Sunderland have given away an awful lot on their travels.

While Donny are creating plenty at home, the Iron are shipping an almighty amount on their travels. They’ve conceded 17 goals in ten away games, while they’re giving up a worrying average of 1.94 expected goals, which tells us that they’ve given enough opportunities away to concede roughly two goals per away game. Such a number also doesn’t exactly suggest that Stuart McCall’s men are equipped to go away from home and keep things tight.

Scunthorpe aren’t the most defence-minded side, which means that they often leave themselves exposed. In terms of expected goals, they’ve recently given up 2.38, 1.57, 1.7 and 2.01 against Bristol Rovers, Blackpool, Luton and Burton Albion. Of those four, only Luton are up with Doncaster in terms of attacking ability, so it really is easy to fear for the visitors.

Moreover, Scunny haven’t done enough offensively in recent away games to suggest that they can outscore teams that are good going forward. They’ve scored just two goals in their last three on the road, clocking expected goals for totals of 0.75, 1.17 and 1.12.

All in all, this is an excellent opportunity for the hosts to continue moving in the right direction. By backing ‘Doncaster to Win & Over 1.5 Goals’ punters can take advantage of Scunthorpe’s dodgy back-line, just as Donny’s superior forward-line is expected to on Saturday afternoon.