Oldham Athletic v Fleetwood Betting Tips: Low-scoring affair anticipated at Boundary Park

This League One clash could be a rather tight affair as two of the division’s best defences come head-to-head.

Oldham are currently having a pretty bad time at the moment and, after looking like they would go on to comfortably secure safety, have now failed to win any of their last three, putting them just two points above the drop-zone.

As mentioned above, despite the fact they are struggling against relegation, the Lactics have actually been brilliant at the back this season and have the fourth-best defensive record in League One with just 42 goals conceded in 41 games as well as clean sheets in 37% of matches. Unfortunately though, they have let their standards slip in the last few weeks and have now failed to keep a clean sheet in their last four.

The fact that Oldham are so close to the bottom with such a good defensive record shows you how poor they are up front. They have the worst Goals For statistic in the division with a rather pathetic 27. This impotent attack means that, if Oldham do concede, then they rarely win.

Despite the fact they are not on a great run at the moment, going into this match, John Sheridan’s side will take confidence from their home form which has seen them go undefeated in their six games at Boundary Park since 28th January. Additionally, they have kept clean sheets in half of those matches.

Automatic promotion has probably passed Fleetwood by now as they currently sit 3rd in the table, seven points behind Bolton Wanderers in second. This gap has appeared thanks to Fleetwood’s relatively poor run in recent weeks which has seen them win just once in their last four matches. They should still be in the play-offs come the end of the campaign but, with just six points between themselves and 7th, need to be careful that they do not let that promotion opportunity slip as well.

Saturday’s opponents Oldham may have a decent defensive record, but Uwe Rosler’s side have an even better one with just 38 conceded in 41 matches and a brilliant clean sheet ratio of 44% – the best in the league. However, unlike Oldham, Fleetwood have the firepower to go with it, hence why they are 3rd in the table. Although, it is certainly worth mentioning that Rosler’s men had failed to score in their three matches prior to their 3-1 victory over Oxford United in midweek.

Away form has been absolutely sensational for the Trawlermen this campaign and they have not lost a match on the road in any competition since 12th November 2016. Furthermore, they have kept clean sheets in 45% of their away matches.

As mentioned earlier, this could be a tight affair between two sturdy defences. Neither of these teams can really afford to lose this match so I imagine neither will be looking to go gung-ho from the start. With this in mind, ‘0-0 at Half-Time’, at 6/4, looks a great bet.

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