Colchester United vs Bristol Rovers Match Analysis & Prediction
23/11/2022 10:30 pm
Colchester United and Bristol Rovers will face off to earn a spot in the third round of this season’s EFL Trophy at the JobServe Community Stadium on Wednesday as the knockout stages of the competition begin.
While the hosts will be looking to distract themselves from a League Two relegation battle with a successful run in this competition, the visitors have improved drastically in League One after a tricky start to life back in the third tier.
The EFL Trophy has been a welcome escape for Colchester from their League Two worries, with Matt Bloomfield’s side topping Southern Group A ahead of League One’s Charlton Athletic after going unbeaten throughout the three-game group stage.
Success against The Addicks, a victory over Brighton & Hove Albion’s Academy and a draw with Gillingham secured The U’s a home clash in the second round with the aim now to see how far they can go in this year’s competition.
The home faithful at the JobServe Community Stadium would much rather their side retain their league status this season, but a victory on Wednesday would improve the mood around the club nevertheless.
Bristol Rovers failed to move to top spot in Southern Group E through a penalty shootout defeat to Plymouth Argyle in the first game of the group stage, but still come into this contest as one of the seven sides in this section of the competition that are unbeaten in normal time.
After dramatic scenes on the final day of last season which earned Rovers automatic promotion to League One, they have settled nicely on their return to the third tier after concerning start which saw them win just twice in 11 games.
Central to that upturn in form has been the prolific antics of Welshman Aaron Collins, who has scored 10 goals in 19 games so far.
Colchester United vs. Bristol Rovers Head to head
These two teams have previously met on 14 occasions across two competitions, where Colchester have claimed five victories while Bristol have won six, and they have drawn three. Clchester have scored 16 goals and conceded 20. In their last five meetings, they have each won twice while drawing once.
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27/02/2010Bristol Rovers3Colchester United2League One
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01/03/2011Bristol Rovers0Colchester United1League One
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07/05/2011Colchester United2Bristol Rovers1League One
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19/10/2021Colchester United1Bristol Rovers1League Two
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15/03/2022Bristol Rovers1Colchester United0League Two
Colchester United Team News
Bloomfield is set to name a strong XI as he looks to cause an upset on Wednesday and is likely to include his key players in action.
Forward Samson Tovide scored his first goal of the season in the 3-0 victory over Doncaster Rovers at the weekend, and should be rewarded with another start here.
Colchester United's Last 5 Matches
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29/10/2022Colchester United1Stevenage1League Two
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01/11/2022Barrow3Colchester United1League Two
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05/11/2022Newport County2Colchester United0FA Cup
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12/11/2022Crewe Alexandra1Colchester United0League Two
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19/11/2022Colchester United3Doncaster Rovers0League Two
Bristol Rovers Team News
Former Celtic man Scott Sinclair scored the decisive goal for Bristol Rovers in the victory over Peterborough on Saturday and Joey Barton will want to get most of the 33-year-old.
The visitors are likely to change their starting XI from the weekend with a key second-round FA Cup tie against Boreham Wood coming on Sunday.
Bristol Rovers's Last 5 Matches
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26/10/2022Sheffield Wednesday1Bristol Rovers1League One
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29/10/2022Derby County4Bristol Rovers2League One
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05/11/2022Bristol Rovers1Rochdale0FA Cup
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12/11/2022Bristol City2Fleetwood Town2League One
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19/11/2022Bristol Rovers1Peterborough United0League One
Colchester United vs. Bristol Rovers: Odds and Predictions
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