Walsall vs Oldham Prediction & Betting Tips

Wider form picture

Looking beyond the league table, Walsall's record across all competitions this year, including cup ties and friendlies, is more mixed: five wins, eight draws and seven losses from 20 matches. That's a reminder that rotation and cup football can blur a club's real league form.

Walsall: 20 completed matches; Oldham: 20 completed matches.

Walsall

20 matches

Win

25% 5 / 20

Draw

40% 8 / 20

Loss

35% 7 / 20

Scored

18

Conceded

29

Difference

-11

Oldham

20 matches

Win

25% 5 / 20

Draw

10% 2 / 20

Loss

65% 13 / 20

Scored

25

Conceded

32

Difference

-7

Oldham's extended sample is rougher still, with six wins, two draws and 12 losses from 20 matches and 29 goals conceded. Their away league form this season stands out as especially poor, just one point picked up from their last four away games.

Oldham's away struggles look like the bigger concern within an already patchy overall record.

Comparative Team Statistics: Walsall vs Oldham

History between the two

These two have met plenty over the years, mostly in League One and League Two, and it's rarely been one-sided. Last season's two league meetings were shared, with the away team winning both times.

Further back, results have swung from heavy Oldham wins to comfortable Walsall ones, so there's no long-term pattern favouring either club specifically at this fixture.

Home advantage hasn't been a reliable guide in this fixture historically.

Table position tells a story

Walsall currently sit second in League Two, unbeaten through seven league games with three wins and four draws. They've also conceded just four goals in that spread, the tightest defensive record of the two sides here.

Oldham are down in 16th after the same number of matches, with only two wins and four defeats. Their goal difference is already negative, nine conceded against eight scored.

The early gap between second and 16th is about as wide as it gets in League Two right now.

Key men and discipline

Walsall's main threat this season has been A. Pressley, with four goals in six appearances. R. Smith and Courtney Clarke have chipped in a couple of assists each, spreading the creative load.

Walsall:

Best scorers:

A. Pressley - 4

Best assist providers:

R. Smith - 2

Penalty cards:

E. Ahui x 4

S. Sprangler x 3

Oldham:

Best scorers:

C. Kavanagh - 4

Best assist providers:

C. Kavanagh - 3

Penalty cards:

G. Scott-Morriss x 1

O. Norburn x 4

For Oldham, C. Kavanagh has been doing the heavy lifting with three goals and three assists in seven matches, clearly their most important attacking outlet. Both sides have picked up a fair few bookings too, with E. Ahui and O. Norburn each on four yellows, while Oldham's G. Scott-Morriss has already seen red once this term. There's no confirmed injury list here, so it's worth treating team news nearer kickoff with some care.

How this one might play out

Walsall's defence has been the foundation of their strong start, and combined with Oldham's shaky away form, that suggests goals could be hard to come by for the visitors. Three of Walsall's four league draws this season have finished goalless, hinting at tight, low-scoring afternoons at home.

Oldham will need to find more solidity away from home if they're to avoid a repeat of their recent away results, where they've taken just a single point from four attempts.

A cagey, low-scoring game looks a reasonable expectation given both teams' patterns.