Walsall vs Forest Green Rovers Predictions

If they want their stay in League Two to be a short one, then Walsall need to repeat their opening-day antics on a regular basis. After beating Northampton first time out, the Saddlers will be hoping to win their first home game, while Forest Green, who also won by a goal to nil a week ago, will be hoping that match-day two marks their first away win of the season.

Despite winning by a goal to nil at Sixfields last weekend, Walsall didn’t deliver a terribly pleasing performance, or at the very least, they weren’t totalling deserving of the three points. Defensively, the Saddlers didn’t come under too much pressure, while they did a good job of restricting their hosts, who managed to create just 0.87 expected goals for. However, such a number looks respectable next to the 0.48 created by Walsall.

In truth, their opening-day victory was a bit of a smash and grab. Then again, as it was the first game of the new campaign, manager Darrell Clarke probably won’t care, though he will be bothered if the Saddlers continue to be outperformed in key areas going forward.

Like Walsall, Forest Green also had problems building up a head of steam going forward on match-day one. They did find the net, which ultimately allowed them to come out on top, though as they created only 0.49 expected goals for, it’s probably fair to say that Mark Cooper’s men found creating lots of chances difficult to do.

Fortunately, despite playing against an Oldham side that was very useful going forward last term, Forest Green appeared to be a sturdy unit on match-day one. Not only did they keep a clean sheet, but they also did an excellent job of preventing their opponents from creating, as they conceded zero shots on target and surrendered just 0.54 expected goals.

Saturday’s visitors no longer have Christian to rely on for goals, who answered the call to return to The New Lawn mid-way through the previous campaign, but the absence of a big forward presence could allow Cooper’s men to get back to playing the impressive passing game that caught the eye during the first half of last season. They may not turn out to be massive scorers this season, but they’ll control plenty of games and as a result, won’t be easy to get at.

In the betting, after neither side appeared to pack much of a punch going forward last time out, ‘Under 2.5 Goals’ stands out as a viable option. Not only did both Walsall and Forest Green, by creating just 0.97 expected goals for between them on match-day one, offer a limited amount in the final third, but they also restricted their opponents, conceded just three shots on target and 1.41 expected goals combined.