Wycombe Wanderers vs Scunthorpe Predictions

Having managed to get their heads in front thanks to a solid home performance against Burton, Wycombe went into last weekend’s game at Coventry with renewed confidence, though they were unable to return from their trip to Ricoh Arena with anything to show for their efforts. Now back in front of their own fans, Gareth Ainsworth’s men will be hoping to regain the winning thread.

Like many teams in League One, or indeed in any league, Wycombe have done a better job of imposing themselves on their own patch, so they can be forgiven for losing last weekend, though the way in which they failed to really compete against another of the promoted teams will have left manager Gareth Ainsworth displeased. Fortunately, the Chairboys were successful when last on home soil, so they can draw on that positive experience ahead of this match.

From an attacking point of view, home is very much where the heart is for Wycombe, or at least that has been the case in recent weeks, as they’ve trebled their goals for tally in their last two on home soil, notching twice against both Southend and Burton. Such attacking form bodes well ahead of a match against a Scunthorpe side that continues to concede goals left, right and centre, though it is Wycombe’s efforts at the other end of the pitch that catch the eye, and not the right reasons.

Saturday’s hosts have conceded seven goals on their own patch, which isn’t massively worrying, though they’ve been fortunate not to concede considerably more, as they’re averaging 2.14 expected goals against. Quite simply, if Ainsworth’s men continue to churn out such a poor underlying defensive figure, then they’ll soon start to concede a lot more at home.

Just like Wycombe on their own patch, Scunthorpe have conceded chance after chance on their travels this season. Since taking charge, Stuart McCall has managed to get the Iron competing far more; they now look like they could outscore opponents, but they’re still leaking far too many goals. Moreover, they’ve continued to concede plenty of scoring opportunities, especially on the road, as their average of 2.22 expected goals against tells us.

Unsurprisingly, Scunthorpe also rank poorly in terms of shots on target against when playing on the road, as only two teams have conceded more than the Iron, who’ve recently struggled to keep both AFC Wimbledon and Luton at bay. Having viewed those matches, Wycombe ought to fancy their chances going forward.

Scunthorpe have clear issues at the back, but so do Wycombe, it would be wrong to say otherwise. On this basis, the bet that stands out, particularly at what appears to be a generous price, is ‘Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score’. With both teams averaging over 2.0 expected goals against in their respective home and away games, and just generally looking weak defensively, both are likely to fancy themselves going forward, so we ought to see an open game unfold at Adams Park on Saturday afternoon.