Exeter City vs Macclesfield Predictions

For some, it will have seemed like an eternity since the last campaign finished, for others it will have felt like just a short time ago. Nevertheless, the new season is now on the doorstep and this weekend we see two sides who are expected to have very different campaigns go head to head, as promotion hunting Exeter City look to open the campaign in the perfect manner when they welcome a cash strapped Macclesfield Town to St James Park.

The last few campaigns have seen Exeter City go close to regaining a spot in League One on a number of occasions and they have been defeated play-off finalists in two of the last three seasons. Last term a dip in form in Autumn ruined The Grecians chances but despite losing Jayden Stockley to Preston back in January, Exeter City coped well in the second half of the season. The Grecians have made a few useful signings over the summer too, replacing Stockley with Charlton’s Nicky Ajose and adding defensive reinforcements in the form of Garry Warren and Tom Parkes.

Financial difficulty has been the story of the summer for former Spurs, Arsenal and England defender Sol Campbell, but he will hope to instil a siege mentality as he bids to ensure the Silkmen retain their spot in Football League for another season. The visitors will be looking to make a much better start than they did in the previous season as following their promotion from the National League, they were unable to secure a win until their 14th attempt.

Although financial constraints often mean a side has its back against the wall and come out with nothing to lose, it is hard to imagine that the Silkmen will have enough quality in their ranks to challenge a side who are expected to challenge for promotion. The hosts know that it is essential to get off to a strong start as they bid to win promotion and given that they have a pretty strong scoring record in the recent meetings between these two sides, we think backing them to win with a -1 handicap represents an excellent chance for some good profit.