Lincoln City vs Southend Predictions

If Lincoln proved that they’re no mugs on match-day one, then they showed that they’re in League One to cut it with the big boys when beating Rotherham away from home on match-day two. Danny Cowley’s men will now be looking for a third successive win. In contrast, Southend are looking for their first points of the season.

It’s early days and things can soon change, though it looks as though Lincoln are going to do well at this level. First time out, the Imps showed that they’ve got the quality to overpower teams that don’t really cut it offensively, while last time out, they showed that they can also compete when forced to sit back and defend.

Despite not really being in the game as an attacking force last time out, Lincoln showed how clinical they can be, notching twice from just three shots. Each of their three shots hit the target. Overall, they were somewhat fortunate, as Rotherham created more, but the way in which they resisted a very strong attack was impressive.

While Lincoln have made a very pleasing start to the new campaign, Southend have struggled to get going. First time out, they were far from outplayed, but a severe lack of ideas going forward cost them. Last time out, the Shrimpers improved in that respect, as they fired off 16 shots, four of which hit the target. They also produced a reasonable 1.32 expected goals for, which suggests that they absolutely deserved to get on the score-sheet.

However, for all they did improve offensively last time out, Kevin Bond’s men looked very easy to get at. Not only did they allow their opponents to muster 1.59 expected goals for, but they offered little resistance when push came to shove in the defensive third, while they also looked susceptible to the counter.

In the betting, ‘Lincoln to Win & Over 1.5 Goals’ stands out as a viable option. When playing in front of a home crowd on match-day one, Lincoln, who posted 2.32 expected goals for, looked very strong going forward, which bodes well ahead of a match against a Southend side that crumbled somewhat defensively when shipping three goals against Blackpool last weekend. Not only do the Shrimpers seemingly lack the defensive strength to cope at Sincil Bank, but their rather lacklustre attacking efforts also point towards them struggling.

Backing Lincoln to stretch out in front by recording a 3-0 win could be the answer for ‘Correct Score’ punters. Given both the levels of creativity and end-product that Lincoln have showcased over the first few weeks, they look a good bet to punish a Southend side that looks below par in all areas.