Rochdale (home)
- Rochdale have won 17 of their 20 home games this season, maintaining their reputation as one of the toughest teams to play at Spotland in the National League.
- Rochdale are clear favorites to claim three points at Spotland when they host a struggling Morecambe FC side in the National League on Friday and it’s easy to see why they are as low as 1.25 to do so.
- The hosts are the league’s runaway leaders with 98 points from 41 games and have strong recent form.
- Their full-backs create a lot of energy and width, the double pivot works at screening and their talisman, Emmanuel Dieseruvwe, can get the better of anyone in the National League with 24 goals in 35 appearances.
- However, the hosts have conceded just 14 goals in 20 home league games, an average of 0.70 per match, and can usually shut a game down with their pressing and positional discipline.
Morecambe (away)
- Morecambe FC have lost three successive games, including a 3-2 defeat at Yeovil Town and a 3-2 home loss to Hartlepool United.
- Morecambe FC are in complete flux as Ashvir Singh Johal rebuilds his squad and tries to impose his own identity on the club.
- The Lancashire club have lost their last three games, conceding three goals in two of them, which suggests they are still coming to terms with the transition from the league above.
- A 3-2 home defeat to Hartlepool was a poor effort, while a 2-0 reverse against Aldershot Town and 3-2 loss at Yeovil are not results that they will have been targeting.
- Morecambe have won four, drawn five and lost 11 of their 20 National League away games this term.
Head-to-Head
The last meeting between these two sides was in the National League three months ago and Dale won 2-1 as the visitors.
Key Players
-
Emmanuel Dieseruvwe
- Their talisman, Emmanuel Dieseruvwe, can get the better of anyone in the National League with 24 goals in 35 appearances.
-
Jack Nolan
- Jack Nolan is one of the most reliable forwards in the National League with 17 in 34 appearances.
- He’s scored six goals in the last five, accounting for over half of his team’s tally in that sequence.
Betting Insights
- Rochdale are priced as low as 1.25 to win.
- We rate over 2.5 goals at 1.43.
- Backing both teams to score is available at around 1.78.
Prediction
- Dale are worth a punt to win, with both teams to score at around 1.78.
- Dale are the most consistently good side in the league and Morecambe FC are a team still trying to find their identity after relegation and a managerial change.
