Grimsby Town vs Macclesfield Predictions

After a disappointing afternoon in League Two on Saturday, Grimsby will be hoping to resume winning ways when they host Macclesfield, who also ply their trade in England’s fourth tier, in the League Cup on Tuesday evening. The visitors will be hoping to make it five games unbeaten.

Grimsby did come off second best at the weekend, and they certainly weren’t at their best, though the result was perhaps a little harsh. Despite seeing less of the ball than their opponents, the Mariners weren’t massively outplayed, as they created more or less the same as their opponents, which wasn’t a lot.

A quick glance at the league table tells us that Grimsby are useful, as they currently occupy a respectable 7^th place, though it’s easy to feel that they’re good enough to go up a few places. Based on expected goals, which admittedly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, Grimsby should be sitting in a lofty 3^rd position. They’re not, but in terms of chances created and conceded, they’re currently the third best team in the division, which is a big positive.

In contrast, according to expected goals, Macclesfield should be a lowly 20^th position, which is 11 places lower than where they currently are. Again, expected goals (xG) is far from the be all and end all, but such a stat does show us that the Silkmen are generally creating less than their opponents, which is never ideal.

What Macclesfield are good at is getting competitive and staying in games, even if they’re not the most imposing in terms of forward quality. Tuesday’s visitors have lost twice in League Two this season, while they’re yet to lose by more than a single goal, so they’re clearly tough to beat. By the same token, only one of their three wins has been by more than a single goal, so they’re not really the sort of side that is going to dish out a severe beating.

As League Two teams, neither Grimsby nor Macclesfield will have thoughts of winning this competition, but they’ll both be taking this game seriously, as a lucrative tie against Premier League Chelsea awaits the winner.

In the betting, the hosts are tough to go against. Specifically, ‘Grimsby to Win & Under 3.5 Goals’ stands out.

As mentioned above, Macclesfield aren’t the sort of side to get bowled over, though their efforts on the road have been far less impressive than Grimsby’s performances at Blundell Park. The hosts, who’ve notched eight goals in front of a home crowd this season have offered more going forward at home, creating a pleasing 1.57 expected goals for, than Macclesfield have on the road. Moreover, Grimsby have done a better job of creating more than they’ve given away, as an average expected goal difference of +0.90 suggest. On the road, Macclesfield have an average expected goal difference of -0.69. Such numbers point towards Tuesday’s clash going the way of the hosts.