Our prediction for this League 2 match:
Spotland Stadium will host a postponed League Two game between Rochdale and Carlisle United. The Dale aim to put an end to their three-game losing run, and they are likely to leave their hearts on the field. Rochdale are nine points clear of bottom two, meaning that a win over Carlisle would see them move one step closer to securing the League Two survival. Both James Ball and Tahvon Campbell are major doubts after the duo missed the loss to Crawley.
The Cumbrians, on the other hand, aim to build on back-to-back wins over Barrow and Bristol Rovers. Carlisle United have been showing signs of improvement of late, and we predict that they will take advantage of Rochdale’s poor form. Both Callum Guy and Jamie Devitt are sidelined with injuries, but there are no suspended players in the away team.
Highlighted Player (Eoghan O\'Connell):
Eoghan O’Connell is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a center back for Rochdale. O'Connell, who hails from the village of Douglas, was born on the 13th of August, 1995. In his early days, the defender used to play for two renowned Irish academies in College Corinthians and Avondale United before switching to the Celtic Academy in 2011.
He made his professional debut on the 29th of March, 2014, featuring in Celtic's 1-1 draw against Ross Country in the Scottish Premiership. His time at the Hoops included sporadic first-team appearances and loan spells with teams Oldham Athletic, Cork City, and Walsall. However, he won Celtic's Academy Player of the Year 2014 award and was included in the reputed Irish publication Journal.ie's " 10 most promising young Irish Footballers" article. His search for regular playing time brought O'Connell to Bury, whom he joined in June 2017.
He remained at the club for two seasons before signing for his current club Rochdale on a two-year contract starting on the 4th of July, 2019. Additionally, the 24-year-old has capped for the Republic of Ireland's under-19 and the under-21 team. He made his under-21 debut on the 2nd of September, 2017, in a 2-0 UEFA European Under-21 Qualifier win over Slovenia.
Highlighted Team (Carlisle):
Founded in May 1904, Carlisle United are a professional football club that have one of the biggest stadiums in the League 2. Brunton Park is the club’s home ground, and it can hold up to 18,202 spectators. When playing at Brunton Park Carlisle United footballers wear blue shirts and blue shorts, while their away kit is sky blue.
The Cumbrians maintain a rivalry with Workington And Barrow, but it has to be noted that the two clubs have not met in the Football League since the 1970s. Carlisle United won their first Football League Trophy in the 1996/97 season, with the team beating Colchester United 4-3 on penalties.
The Cumbrians repeated the success 14 years later (2010/11) as they defeated Brentford 1-0, thanks to Peter Michael Murphy’s goal. Carlisle United recorded their biggest win against Hartlepool United (8-0) on September 1, 1928, with the team suffering their heaviest defeat to Hull City (1-11) on January 14, 1939.