Scunthorpe vs Burton Albion Predictions

Scunthorpe did stop the rot by drawing away against Shrewsbury last weekend, though they’re not yet out of the woods, as they’re just two points above the drop-zone. With many of the teams below them seemingly finding their feet, the Iron need to regain the winning thread and fast.

In terms of results, Scunny have struggled over the last month or so, but they’ve certainly been competitive in their last couple of matches. They were very much in the game against a sturdy Shrewsbury side last time out, while they didn’t deserve to lose against AFC Wimbledon prior to that.

However, for all Scunthorpe haven’t been as bad as some of their recent result suggest, they’re still giving a bit too much away in front of their own fans. In their last five at home, Scunny have shipped an average of 1.43 expected goals, which isn’t abysmal, but such a number suggests that the Iron are giving away enough to concede in each of their home games, which is happening at present. Scunthorpe have kept just one clean sheet in their last five at home, as well as just one in their last ten.

Of their last five at home, Scunny have lost just two, won two and drawn one, which tells us that they’re still getting competitive. Offensively, they’ve averaged 1.37 expected goals for.

Fortunately, Scunthorpe are up against a Burton side that has given plenty away on their travels of late, so even if they’re unable to keep a clean sheet, there’s still hope for them. The Brewers have conceded at least once in each of their last three on the road, while they’ve given a considerable amount of chances away during that time, shipping an average of 1.58 expected goals.

At the other end of proceedings, Burton have acquitted themselves reasonably well on the road, both recently and overall this season. Nigel Clough’s men scored away against Sunderland on Tuesday, while they also scored away against Charlton prior to that, which is easier said than done. Moreover, they’ve notched at least once in eight of their last ten travelling matches, while they’ve scored at least twice in four of their last eight.

From a betting point of view, with neither looking particularly sharp at the back, ‘Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score’ stands out as a viable option, especially at the prices. With Scunthorpe having surrendered an average of 1.82 expected goals at home and with Burton having shipped an average of 1.51 on the road, the possibility of a high-scoring game looks to be slightly greater than the current odds suggest.