Rotherham boss Paul Warne isn’t one to keep his cards close to his chest and he has talked about the similarities between his team and Scunthorpe ahead of the trip to Glanford Park, but he expects the two legs to pan out differently. Reading between the lines, he anticipates a low-scoring affair in the first leg and things to open up in the return four days later.
Warne has played about with different systems in recent away games and has been pleased to find no ill-effects in terms of functionality. The Millers played out a 0-0 with eventual champions Wigan as a 4-2-3-1, nicked a 1-0 win at Gillingham with a 4-3-3 and then went back to their usual 4-4-2 for the 2-1 defeat at Plymouth.
The suspicion is that he might revert to either of the new formations that provide extra cover in midfield, to combat the extra dynamism coming from deep since Scunthorpe caretaker Nick Daws dropped striker Tom Hopper in exchange for an extra attacking midfielder. All of which implies value in the under 1.5 goals bet at 9/4 and the Rotherham clean sheet at 5/2.
The Millers were 2-1 winners in this fixture three months ago but they were rampant at the time, playing the 11th game in a 14-match unbeaten run that included seven straight wins. Naturally, their standards tailed off soon after, as it became apparent that Wigan and Blackburn would never be caught, but results have picked up again in recent weeks.
Warne also touched upon the early kick-off and possible hot weather in his summary of factors to be taken into account. Either way, the scheduling certainly suits Rotherham. Few managers would prefer a Saturday lunchtime first leg at home over a Wednesday night second leg, and we should assume this is something Warne has thought through before giving us his clues.
Recommended bets:
1pt Under 1.5 goals at 3.25
1pt Rotherham to keep a clean sheet at 3.50
