Rochdale vs Doncaster Rovers Predictions

After winning first time out, Rochdale will be looking to make it two wins from two, while Doncaster, who were held to a draw by Gillingham, will be hoping that their first travelling match of the campaign sparks three points.

Rochdale could hardly have got the season off to a better start; they took the lead after just 12 minutes, were two goals to the good just after half-time, while they were three up with just over 20 minutes to go, before eventually winning the game 3-2. However, on the balance of play, it’s fair to say that Rochdale, who ultimately had two exquisite goals, one from skipper and club legend Ian Henderson and one from new signing Rhys Norrington-Davies, to thank for their victory, were a tad fortunate to take all three points.

Despite winning, Rochdale were outperformed in terms of shots, shots on target and expected goals, so match-day one didn’t come without negatives for Brian Barry-Murphy’s men.

After being presented with a home game against a side that finished in the bottom half last season, Doncaster would’ve been hoping to take all three points last weekend, though a share of the spoils was all they could manage from their opening-day fixture with Gillingham.

They weren’t massively outplayed, nor were they terribly poor, but Doncaster struggled to get going on match-day one, as they were marginally beaten on their own patch in terms of both shots on target and expected goals for. Then again, as opening-day efforts go, it wasn’t too bad, as the fact that they were just so-so at both ends of the pitch leaves plenty of room for improvement.

Considering that Donny finished in a lofty position last season, it’s not surprising that they come into this game against a Rochdale side that spent most of the previous campaign battling against relegation as favourites, though it’s not at all difficult to feel that the visitors are too short. After all, this is a new-look Doncaster side that we’re talking about, one that no longer has the prolific John Marquis to rely on.

At the prices, both ‘Rochdale to Win’ and ‘Rochdale to Score Over 1.5 Goals’ stand out as viable options. Dale offered a good amount going forward last weekend, while Doncaster, despite only conceding once, gave the impression that they wouldn’t be overly tough to pass if put under serious pressure. Add in the fact that Rochdale created 33% more expected goals for away from home than Doncaster did on home soil and Saturday’s hosts simply look overpriced. Therefore, supporting a home win stands out as a value option.