Bradford vs Barnsley Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

After making light work of winning on match-day one, Barnsley, who’ve been tipped by many to bounce straight back to the Championship, will be looking to continue their good form by beating their Yorkshire rivals away from home on Saturday afternoon.

A 1-0 score-line often suggests that not much of a game has taken place, so it may not have looked like it on paper, but Bradford were one of the most impressive performers during the opening weekend. Michael Collins’ men started the game well, controlled the tempo and made most of the running throughout, creating chances as they went. New signing Jack Payne looked a real creative spark as he continued to pick the ball up in between the opponents’ midfield and defence, while winger Sean Scannell offered a threat from wide areas.

Not only did the Bantams look good going forward, so much so that they really should’ve scored more than the one goal that they did, but they defended well too. It would be wrong to say that Shrewsbury weren’t a tad unlucky to see some of their efforts denied, though the manner in which Bradford stood firm was a far cry from some of their shocking defensive displays last season. No team is going to be perfect at the back, especially in League One, though if they can build on a very promising attacking start to the campaign, then Collins’ men could do well.

Barnsley also excelled going forward last weekend, as they found the net four times against Oxford. Like their opponents here, the Tykes offered a real threat going forward right from the off as they set about testing the opposition keeper, and test him they did. As the score-line suggests, Simon Eastwood failed that test miserably, as he ended up picking the ball up twice in the first half and then on a further two occasions during the second period. An away match against Bradford could prove to be harder for Daniel Stendel’s men, though if they continue to get forward with purpose, then they could easily make more offensive headway.

Given the offensive output of this pair on match-day one, it is something of a surprise that a high-scoring game isn’t much shorter in the early betting. In terms of what they did in the final third, both teams impressed last week, while the fact that Barnsley are likely to go to Valley Parade and attack should mean that the fans in attendance witness an open game. All in all, at the prices, ‘Over 2.5 Goals’ appears to represent a slice of value and is thus well worth backing.