Southend vs Scunthorpe Predictions

Southend’s inconsistency has turned into consistency, though as far as boss Chris Powell is concerned it is consistency of the wrong sort. Moreover, their recent performances have also suggested that they’re perhaps not quite as good as their early-season promise told us that they were. The Shrimpers are now without a league win in four, all of which they’ve lost, so they’ll be desperate to regain the winning thread when they welcome Scunthorpe to Roots Hall on Tuesday evening.

While Southend have struggled of late, it is important to consider a few factors that have contributed to their relative demise. For starters, the Shrimpers have had the misfortune of facing some very useful sides. Three of their last four opponents have been Barnsley, Sunderland and Blackpool, all of whom currently rank in the top seven and all of whom rank inside the top seven in the form table too.

On this occasion, Southend have the chance to go up against a weak defence on their own patch, which they really ought to enjoy. For all they’ve not performed as well as they should have in recent weeks, Chris Powell’s men have tended to cause teams plenty of problems at Roots Hall, while Scunny are a side that has struggled massively to keep things tight this season.

On their own patch, Southend are averaging a useful 1.71 expected goals for, while they recently got the better of a defensively inept Walsall side, clocking 2.04 expected goals for in the process. A replication of that performance against this Scunthorpe back-line would surely see them find the net on multiple occasions.

From a defensive point of view, when playing away from home, Scunthorpe have been one of the worst teams in the division this season. The Iron have kept just one clean sheet on their travels, have conceded a worrying total of 15 goals and are giving up an average of 2.01 expected goals. They conceded just one when giving up 2.38 expected goals away at Bristol Rovers last time out, though good fortune was the only reason why they didn’t ship more, and if they deliver a similar effort at Roots Hall on Thursday, then they’ll likely be made to pay.

Things have gone away for the Shrimpers of late, but this match represents a good opportunity for them to bounce back. At the prices, with Powell’s men averaging 1.71 expected goals at home and with the visitors shipping an average of 2.01 on away days, ‘Southend to Score Over 1.5 Goals’ is the bet that appeals most.