Burton Albion vs Walsall Predictions

Burton had proven to be a tough nut to crack ahead of last Saturday’s clash with Fleetwood, though the Brewers finally came unstuck against a resolute visiting side. For the second game in quick succession, Nigel Clough’s men failed to score. It’s fair to say that they’ll be hoping to come up with more end-product when they entertain Walsall at Pirelli Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Brewers did find themselves being edged out by Fleetwood on Saturday, but it’s tough to say that they absolutely deserved to walk away empty handed. Make no mistake about it, Nigel Clough’s men weren’t great going forward, as they mustered just three shots on target and recorded just 0.78 expected goals for, though they only conceded 0.49, while their opponents managed just a single shot on target. Such numbers suggest that Burton were unfortunate to taste a first defeat in seven.

However, while they were unlucky on Saturday, their recent efforts at home aren’t overly encouraging. It looks like Clough’s men are struggling to make an impression going forward, as they’ve scored just once in their last three at Pirelli Stadium. Such a lack of goals suggests a lack of end-product, while their last three expected-goals for figures of 0.78, 0.08 and 1.28 point to a lack of creativity. They didn’t give much away against Fleetwood last time out, but prior to that, Burton had shipped four in three at home and had surrendered expected-goals against numbers of 2.16, 1.76 and 1.61.

Fortunately, Burton go up against a poor Walsall side at the weekend. The Saddlers did overcome Bradford at the weekend, but as they continued to give an abundance of chances away, they were fortunate to do so. What’s more, Saturday’s visitors are without a win in three on the road, while they’ve won just one of their last 11 travelling matches. Of those 11, Dean Keates’ men have lost eight. They’re conceding an average of 1.53 goals on the road this season and are averaging 1.64 expected goals against. That said, they have sometimes offered a reasonable amount going forward, so they may fancy themselves to get at a Burton side that hasn’t exactly kept things tight at home of late.

Prior to not giving much away against a less than expansive Fleetwood side last time out, Burton were experiencing clear struggles at the back on their own patch, while Walsall have done anything but keep teams at bay on the road this season. Keeping this in mind, ‘Both Teams to Score’ isn’t overly tough to fancy at the current prices.

In truth, this looks like a good opportunity for both to have a good go going forward. With Burton having conceded an average of 1.44 expected goals in their last five at home and with Walsall having conceded an average of 1.41 in their last five on the road, ‘Both Teams to Score’ looks like a solid option for punters.