This Saturday afternoon’s fixture from Griffin Park is an opening-weekend encounter in the Championship between Brentford and Rotherham United.
Brentford had a decent season last time out, finishing in ninth place and six points off the play-offs. Bookmakers have them down as ninth favourites in the race to win the Championship.
Their opponents, Rotherham, bounced back at the first time of asking after finishing the regular season in fourth place before winning the League One play-offs. Bookmakers give them little hope and, along with Bolton, Rotherham are joint-favourites to finish bottom.
These two sides did not meet last season, of course, as they were in different divisions, so you have to go back two seasons for their last meeting. The last five head-to-heads have been won by the home side.
Read on for Brentford v Rotherham predictions, stats, tips and team news.
Brentford v Rotherham tips
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Brentford are strong favourites to win this match but while they are a much stronger team, the fact they only won nine of 23 games at home last season means we will not be backing them here. Rotherham, meanwhile, won just nine of 23 on the road and against weaker opposition, so we will not be tipping them either.
Twelve of the 23 home matches the Bees played in the league last season were level going into the interval, so that looks a sensible play, while backing the home side not to score before 35:00 is also an appealing option.
Game to be level at half-time – 7/5
NO Brentford goal before 35:00 – 5/6
Odds correct at time of publishing (03/08/2018, 17:45)
18+ only. Ts&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
What can Brentford and Rotherham expect from the 18/19 Championship season?
The Bees must look to convert some of their draws into wins this season, as they were on the high end in terms of ties with 15 matches finishing all-square. It has been two ninth-place finishes, along with one in tenth, over the course of the two-and-a-half seasons for which Dean Smith has been in charge.
They finished ninth last campaign, and the London outfit were also the joint-ninth highest-scorers in the division last season, with Neal Maupay leading the way with 13 goals. They have lost Florian Jozefzoon to Derby, but they are masters of finding talent to replace players sold to balance the books.
The defence was the Championship’s tenth-best last term, with 52 conceded, 24 of which came at home as opposed to 28 on the road. Twelve of the 23 games Brentford played in the Championship last season at their own ground were level going into the break.
The Millers will be looking to do better than their last season in the Championship, where they scored a record low of 23 points. Paul Warne hopes that his side are stronger this time, but bookmakers disagree and have them joint-favourites to go down along with Bolton.
In League One, they were the third-highest scorers, with 73 goals, though Kieffer Moore (since sold to Barnsley) was the only player in double figures. Much depends on whether Kyle Vassell can successfully make the step up from League One, where he bagged 11 in 29 last season.
They only had the seventh-best defence England’s third-tier division last campaign, a worry as they prepare for a season in the Championship. The additions of Billy Jones from Sunderland and Clark Robertson from Blackpool will help here.
Brentford v Rotherham team news
Both Bretford and Rotherham have no registered injuries or suspensions ahead of this opener.
The post Brentford v Rotherham United stats, team news, predictions and betting tips appeared first on Squawka News.
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