Oxford United vs Bristol Rovers Predictions

Karl Robinson would’ve been hoping to see his Oxford side maintain their excellent unbeaten run in front of a home crowd on Boxing Day, but he could hardly complain about the fate of the U’s, who failed to really impose themselves against a reasonably useful Southend outfit.

After battling hard to earn a point away against a very good Doncaster side, Robinson would’ve fancied his men to make headway against Southend at the weekend, though the boss was forced to look on as his side delivered a rather flat performance. They’ll need to muster more than just a single shot on target if they’re to come out on top on this occasion.

Prior to their weak effort against the Shrimpers, Oxford were beginning to do well at home, especially in terms of overpowering the lesser sides, so there’s definitely hope for the hosts. Southend were able to visit Kassam and nullify, but Bristol Rovers haven’t exactly been hard to pass on their travels this season. What’s more, Oxford’s recent commanding performances against Rochdale and Gillingham bode well. The U’s recorded a total 4.94 expected goals against those two opponents, while they conceded a total of just 1.53 at the other end.

Rovers do come into this match off the back of two wins, but they’re still yet to really impress. Against Fleetwood they were aided by a red card, while the score-line didn’t exactly tell the full story when they beat Walsall by three goals to one on Boxing Day. On that occasion, the Pirates managed just five shots at goal, while they recorded just a single expected goal and emerged with an expected goal difference of +0.08, which doesn’t exactly scream dominance.

Furthermore, Saturday’s visitors have made a habit of giving plenty away on the road this season. Prior to their Boxing Day win, they conceded 1.78 expected goals away against Sunderland, 2.24 against Charlton, 1.27 against Blackpool, 1.76 against Burton, 1.94 against Bradford and 2.07 against Burton.

If we consider some of Bristol Rovers’ recent defensive efforts on the road in conjunction with some of Oxford’s attacking efforts at home, then it’s not difficult to make a case for ‘Oxford to Score Over 1.5 Goals’. The U’s weren’t great at the weekend, but this match provides them with an excellent opportunity to bounce back. A repeat of any of their attacking performances against bottom-half teams at home would likely be enough for Karl Robinson’s men to regain their confidence by notching at least twice.