Rochdale vs Newcastle Predictions

• Rochdale scored at least once in six of their last nine home matches.
• The League One strugglers won just one of their last six on their own patch however.
• Newcastle scored two or fewer goals in 21 of their 22 competitive fixtures this term.
• The Magpies kept only two clean sheets in their last 13 games.

Welcome cup distractions for Newcastle

Out of form Newcastle United will hope to leave their Premier League worries behind them when they kick off their FA Cup campaign at League One side Rochdale on Saturday.

Fresh from three top-flight defeats on the spin, the Magpies will welcome the distraction of some knock-out football against lower league opposition, though their tie with Rochdale at Spotland could prove tricky.

The Dale have struggled for most of the season in League One, and ahead of their meeting with Newcastle they are hovering just a few places above the drop zone. Yet, Rochdale have regularly found another gear in cup competitions this term.

Rochdale’s Cup affinity

Alongside their run to the third round of the FA Cup, Rochdale gave a good account of themselves in the EFL Trophy, and they took Man Utd all the way to penalty kicks at Old Trafford in a pulsating League Cup 3^rd round tie in September having come through two earlier rounds.

With little in the way of pressure this weekend, Brian Barry-Murphy will expect his Rochdale players to have a real go in what is in truth, a money-spinning free hit against one of the country’s bigger clubs, and while their chances of knocking Newcastle out seem slim, we do expect the Dale to fire home a consolation effort.

Goals at both ends likely

Rochdale managed to find the net in all but three of their last nine outings at Spotland, and on Saturday they host a Magpies side that has kept only two clean sheets in 13 competitive attempts.

Newcastle fired back with goals of their own in nine of those contests however, and with their superior quality a factor, it seems certain that they will eventually find a way to breach a Rochdale rearguard that carries the 4^th worst defensive record in League One this season (41 goals conceded).

With those elements considered, we think the both teams to score market holds interest for Saturday’s game, while our correct score forecast settles on a 2-1 Newcastle win.

While the Magpies’ Premier League quality is expected to tell come full time, a deluge of United goals feels incredibly unlikely. Newcastle rattled the net two or fewer times in 21 of their 22 competitive fixtures this season, and Steve Bruce’s squad lacks the attacking thrust to run riot against anyone.

Newcastle scored exactly two goals in three of their last four victories, and we’re tipping them to grab two more at Spotland this weekend against a Rochdale outfit that recorded just one win from their last six in front of their own supporters.