Rochdale v Yeovil Betting Tip 1 – Saturday 28 March

League One/Two Tips

Despite losing heavily away to Oldham in midweek, Keith Hill’s Rochdale are still well placed to challenge for a place in the top six. The manner of the defeat will likely be more concerning for Hill than getting beat as they went down meekly to their North West rivals. It was also their fifth away defeat in six games and that has been their biggest failing in recent weeks having impressed on their travels earlier in the campaign. Fortunately for Rochdale they have really picked up at home and come into this weekend’s game on the back of five wins in their last six at Spotland. With five home games left to play this season, if they can continue that level of form they will go very close to achieving a play-off spot.

At the other end of the table the battle for survival is getting more tense by the week for Yeovil and the other clubs who are fighting to stay in League One. The picture is beginning to look rather bleak for the club from Devon who are five points adrift of second bottom, and a further four points from safety. Having climbed to the lofty heights of the Championship, a return to the bottom tier of English league football is looking inevitable. Their current form certainly does not inspire hope having lost four of their last five and won just once in their last nine. The only positive they can grasp to is the fact the teams above them are also in such dire form and if they can somehow manage to win a couple of games, they can begin to close the gap.

If it wasn’t bad enough losing 3-0 away to your local rivals, matters were compounded even more by three of their key players picking up injuries. Jamie Allen definitely misses out whilst Stephen Dawson will face a late fitness test. Another man in that position – and without doubt the player they would miss most if he doesn’t make it – is Peter Vincenti. The club’s second top scorer would be a huge loss having already scored 12 goals in the league, including two in his last three. .

Terry Skiverton took over from Gary Johnson back in February having served as the former manager’s assistant following a previous spell as manager himself. Having played at the club for 11 years it’s a club he has a big association with so he’ll be hurting more than most with the current position of the club. Despite winning his first game in charge the change in manager has not had the desired, long term. Yeovil have only picked up one more win since then and have lost all but one of their away games under Skiverton – failing to score in all four of their defeats in that time.

Rochdale have seen a complete change of fortune at home in recent weeks having struggled to find any consistency at Spotland earlier in the season. They look much more assured and have a good record against sides in the bottom half of the table – winning against three of the bottom seven in their three most recent home games. The away team come here in such hopeless form, particularly on their travels, that you have to fancy Rochdale to take another big step to the play-offs with another win at home.

Rochdale 19/20 @ Bet365