Walsall vs Cheltenham Predictions

It speaks volumes about the role confidence and momentum plays in football that the frequency of teams who have been relegated one season continue to struggle at the lower level and have to fight to ensure they do not suffer the same fate twice. For Walsall fans, they know that if they are to bounce back to League One at the earliest opportunity then they need to put together a string of results to start climbing the table, and this weekends clash with Cheltenham Town represents an opportunity to take points from a side ahead of them in the standings.

Walsall lost 3-1 at Leyton Orient last Saturday despite taking the lead in the first half. The hosts were in pretty impressive form up until a few weeks ago, but that defeat to Orient followed up a surprise defeat at home to Salford City when they went down 3-0. It was a loss that ended their run of four straight wins in all competitions and, of late they have been a streaky side, following periods of success with leaner spells. They will hope to bounce back from back-to-back defeats more quickly.

Cheltenham did not play last weekend  due to their game with Newport being postponed, but they will hope the rest has done them good and they know that three points this weekend will keep them in and around the hunt for automatic promotion. After their weekend off, Cheltenham are now sixth in the League Two table and four points short of top spot, although they do now have a game in hand on most of their rivals.  The visitors are unbeaten in six league games, and although they are a stronger side on home soil, the fact that they boast the best offensive record in the league means that they should be pretty confident heading into this weekends fixture.

Most people will look at this fixture and pick an away win, and it is not an assessment we disagree with given the hosts come into this match following back to back defeats. However, Cheltenham have an awful record in the head to head between these two sides, so it may be best to proceed with caution. With this in mind, we think that backing an away win with the “Draw – No Bet” clause makes the most sense.

In terms of our correct score tip, we are worried that the week off may mean that the visitors are a little slow out of the blocks and given that they struggle a little more on their travels, we are predicting a tight affair. However, they should ultimately come out on top and our tip is for a 2-1 away win.