Colchester United vs. Bristol Rovers Prediction, Tips & Odds – Nov. 23, 2022 20:30 CET
The first knockout round of the EFL Trophy will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday. This is a competition for the clubs from the third and the fourth tier of English football. One side from League Two will host another from League One.
We found the best odds for this game at the popular Bet365 sportsbook. You will get an attractive Welcome Bonus for all newly registered customers if you register today. Read our article if you wonder how to claim this Bet365 Welcome Bonus.
Colchester United Team News
Colchester United has had another terrible season in League Two (4th tier). They are 22nd on the table with 14 points and only three wins after 19 games. They beat Doncaster Rovers at home on Saturday and that was their first win after nine games, since the start of October.
In the 2019/20 season, Colchester United was in the playoffs but because of the coronavirus they started to invest less in the squad and in the last three seasons they are struggling so much and were in 20th, 15th, and now in 22nd place.
They changed a couple of managers in the last three seasons and this season they did it again. Wayne Brown was sacked in September and Matt Bloomfield is appointed as a manager without any experience.
Since he took the charge of the team, Colchester has won only three games (two in the league and one in the EFL Trophy) and slipped one place on the table. So, he basically didn’t change anything.
Colchester conceded 26 goals and only three teams concede more goals. Also, they kept only two clean sheets (the fewest in the league). They have won almost every point at home, 13 out of 14, and they are five games without a defeat at home in all competitions.
Bristol Rovers Team News
Bristol Rovers were promoted to League One (3rd tier) last season and in their first season, they have a solid start to the season. After 19 rounds they are 15th on the table with 24 points and six wins. They are already 10 points above the relegation zone and they are playing very interesting football.
Joey Barton, ex-Man City, QPR, and Burnley player, is the manager of this team. His team is almost equally good away as at home. They scored 30 goals (the most of any team in the second part of the table) but they also conceded 33 goals which means that they have the third-worst defense in the league. They failed to score in only three games this season.
Bristol is three games without a defeat in all competitions and they archive a huge victory against Peterborough on Saturday. Bristol is in a good form and they suffered only one defeat in the last 12 games since the start of October.
Barton’s team has two cup games in a row. On Wednesday against Colchester and on Sunday against Boreham Wood, aside from the fifth tier. These two games will be a great chance to rotate the squad.
H2H
They were together in League Two last season and met there two times. At Colchester stadium, the games ended with a 1-1 draw, and in Bristol home team won 1-0.
Team News and Injuries
Colchester United: Kwesi Appiah is injured. Cole Skuse and John Akinde are questionable.
Bristol Rovers: Paul Coutts and Harry Anderson are injured.
Colchester United vs. Bristol Rovers Prediction
This is a cup game in the EFL Trophy, a competition for the teams from the third and the fourth tiers of English football, and some young teams of the Premier League’s clubs. Usually, managers make a lot of changes in the starting XI in these competitions and we assume that this will be the case tonight at Colchester Community Stadium.
Bristol is a favorite for a win here because they are in better form and a league above, but as we said, this is a cup game and both squads will be rotated. Because of that, it’s probably better to go with a bet on goals here.
We found the best odds for this game at the popular Bet365 sportsbook. You will get an attractive Welcome Bonus for all newly registered customers if you register today. Read our article if you wonder how to claim this Bet365 Welcome Bonus.
Kick-off Time: Wednesday, 23.11.2022, 20:30
Prediction: BTTS & Over 2.5 goals
Odds: 1.83
Sportsbook: Bet365
