Blackpool vs Rochdale Predictions

Blackpool’s impressive unbeaten run continued last weekend, as they matched high-flying Peterborough by drawing 2-2 at ABAX Stadium. It’s now eight league matches since Terry McPhillips’ men last tasted defeat, though they are without a win in two, so the hosts will be looking to regain the winning thread when they welcome Rochdale to Bloomfield Road on Saturday.

As one of the only teams not to play on Tuesday night, Blackpool should come into this game fresh, while they should also come into it feeling confident, given their recent form. As touched on above, the Seasiders unbeaten run currently stands at eight in the league, and it’s not as if they’ve played only poor teams during that time. They may have conceded twice away at Peterborough last weekend, but plenty of teams will do that, though what plenty of teams won’t do is walk away with a share of the spoils, so that result should have only added to the confidence of Terry McPhillips’ men.

Prior to their draw at ABAX Stadium, Blackpool were outplayed by a very strong Luton side at home, though they proved that they’re tough to beat by digging deep and grinding out a 0-0. What’s more, their overall home performances have been respectable. They’ve not been flawless, but Blackpool have made a good habit of creating that bit more than they’ve given away, as their home expected goal difference of +1.9 suggests, while they’ve rarely had an issue getting the ball in the net, scoring seven in five at Bloomfield Road.

As for Rochdale, well, Keith Hill’s men have performed as you would probably expect. inconsistently. They almost always offer a threat going forward, but they give plenty away at the back on a regular basis, which means that their form is predictably up and down. Prior to drawing 0-0 against Bristol Rovers on Tuesday, Rochdale’s defensive issues came into focus, as they conceded three in defeat against Portsmouth and four in defeat against Sunderland.

On the road, keeping teams at bay has been a real problem for Rochdale, who’ve shipped ten goals in five away matches. Saturday’s visitors have also conceded a rather worrying total of 9.2 expected goals on their travels, so it’s difficult to say that they’ve been unlucky.

From a betting point of view, though Rochdale aren’t the worst team in the division, the visitors’ defensive vulnerability, coupled with the fact that Blackpool have often looked strong offensively at home, makes ‘Blackpool to Score Over 1.5 Goals’ stand out. With the hosts averaging 1.98 expected goals at home and Rochdale conceding an average of 1.84 on their travels, the Seasiders are backed to score at least twice for the second game running.