Statistical Preview: Rochdale (A)

Scunthorpe face Rochdale in this play-off semi-final, with a place at Wembley at stake.

Rochdale will be looking to bounce back after a dramatic final day fixture against York City, which saw them finish 2^nd in this year’s National League. 

Scunthorpe finished 5^th in the National League and secured a place in this semi-final with a win against Southend in their first play-off game.

Andy’s Bet Club’s football analyst will break down Rochdale’s recent clash with York to see what the statistics suggest about how they might set up against Scunthorpe.

Rochdale vs York City

This fixture saw the two best teams in the National League battle it out for the title.

Although both teams had their fair share of possession, it was York who created the best chances in the game. The visitors had 14 shots, 5 shots on target, and created an xG (expected goals) of 3.26. At the same time, Rochdale had 4 shots, 1 shot on target, and created an xG of 0.36.

Both sides had very similar approaches and styles when in possession. Rochdale had a long pass percentage of 17.1% and a passing accuracy of 80%, whilst York had a long pass percentage of 16.3% and also had a passing accuracy of 80%.

It wasn’t just in possession where the teams' stats were similar, but also in off-the-ball stats, which were very comparable. The home side had a PPDA (Passes per Defensive Action) of 16.7, and the visitors had a PPDA of 15.7. Both of these were well above the league average of 11.8, which shows how passive they were out of possession.

Final Thoughts

Scunthorpe will be well aware of how strong a team Rochdale are after their league performances. However, Scunthorpe also had a strong season and will believe they can make it to Wembley.

One of the reasons for Rochdale’s strong campaign was down to the performances of striker Emmanuel Dieseruvwe, who has a combined 31 goals and assists this season. Another key player for them has been Devante Rodney, who has provided his team with 9 assists this season.

Rochdale have played the vast majority of this season with a back 3, so they will most likely set up in the same way in this semi-final. However, it is hard to predict how they will shape up in the forward positions as they have alternated between a front three and a front two. Therefore, Scunthorpe will need to prepare for both scenarios.

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