Statistical Preview: Clitheroe (A)

The sides go into this FA Trophy fourth-round tie in differing runs of form. Scunthorpe have won their last five fixtures and sit 6^th in the National League. Whereas Clitheroe currently sit 14^th in the Northern Premier League (West), and their only victory in their last five fixtures was on penalties in the last round of the cup.

Andy’s Bet Club’s football analyst will break down Clitheroe’s recent clash with Atherton Collieries to see what the statistics indicate about how they might set up against Scunthorpe.

Clitheroe vs Atherton Collieries

Despite having less shots and shots on target in the game, the visitors created a higher Expected Goals (xG). Atherton created an xG of 1.98 and Clitheroe posted 1.11.

Both sides were quite direct when they were in possession. Clitheroe had a long pass percentage of 20% where Atherton were at 22%. The home side were more accurate with their long passes, achieving an accuracy of 51%, while the away side had an accuracy of 36%.

Both sides were also very aggressive when out of possession. Clitheroe had a PPDA (Passes per Defensive Action) of 6.5 and had 29 recoveries in the opponent's half. Atherton had a PPDA of 7.9 and won the ball back on 30 occasions in Clitheroe’s half.

Final Thoughts

Looking at both teams' stats, this upcoming fixture will most likely be played at a fast pace, with both sides pressing high with intensity. Scunthorpe have averaged a PPDA of 9.68 this season, whilst the visitors have averaged a PPDA of 8.08, both being significantly better than their league averages. 

In their last fixture, Clitheroe conceded the majority of their chances from central areas with 1.01 xG being created by their opponents from them. Therefore, Scunthorpe may look to focus their attacks there to create goalscoring opportunities.

Scunthorpe have played the majority of the season in a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 shape and will probably continue this against Clitheroe. Whereas, the visitors have switched up their shape throughout the season and may look to play an extra defender considering the gap in quality between the teams.

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