St. James Park plays host to an interesting League One clash as hosts Exeter City try to start a run of form to push them back into playoff contention, and Bristol Rovers need points to stay away from the relegation fight.
League One
Our Three Predictions For Exeter City v Bristol Rovers
- Prediction 1 – Exeter City To Win – 81/100
- Prediction 2 – Over 2.5 Goals – 99/100
- Prediction 3 – Match To End In A Draw – 49/20
First Prediction For Exeter City v Bristol Rovers – Exeter City To Win – 81/100
The Grecians come into this game as favourites but their form at home is very patchy. They have not won on home soil since mid-November, and despite two wins in the FA Cup at St. James Park, have really failed to lift the spirits of the home faithful. Their general form is a little mixed too, with this past Saturdays win at Burton Albion their only league success since that last home victory. This means they have slipped out of playoff contention, but will see this games against The Pirates as good timing to keep their festive period of games in winning ways. Rovers have not managed a win away for over a month, and have failed to score on each of their last three road games.
Second Prediction For Exeter City v Bristol Rovers – Over 2.5 Goals – 99/100
Despite two losses in their last couple of home outings, Exeter have still kept the scoreboard ticking over, but so have the opposition. In fact the last three games at St. James Park have yielded 10 goals, four of which have come from the home side. Their last three games have seen 2-1 scorelines, with City finally coming out on the right side of that result this past weekend. Rovers are struggling for goals on the road and are due to break a three game run without bagging a goal. They will take some positives that they grabbed a late equaliser at the weekend against high flying Wrexham. The two did meet in late October, with Exeter running out 3-2 winners in a game played at Rovers’ Memorial Stadium.
Third Prediction For Exeter City v Bristol Rovers – Match To End In A Draw – 49/20
Rovers could well provide a small shock result here. A point for them will back up a fighting performance against Wrexham, a 1-1 draw, and the same score would be seen as fine as they look to gain points to keep them away from the drop zone. They have though only gained one draw away from home, and will have to keep things tight to achieve this. Exeter after a solid start to the season have lost their way a little, but are still trading water at home with four wins and three draws from their 10 games. They are a stubborn outfit, and a draw will not go amiss as they try and gain points through the tough Christmas schedule.
Best Odds For Exeter City v Bristol Rovers
| Bookmaker | Exeter City Win | Draw | Bristol Rovers Win |
| MyriadPlay | 81/100 | 49/20 | 29/10 |
| GentlemanJim | 17/20 | 12/5 | 14/5 |
| Betarno | 79/100 | 58/25 | 71/25 |
Full Preview Of The Game: Last Results And Head To Head
It is testament to Exeter’s decent defence that they find themselves still in contention for a playoff push, but they will need to push on after getting a valuable win at Burton a few days ago. Manager Gary Caldwell will again rely on the services of Tristan Crama at the heart of his defence, the 23-year-old Frenchman has been a mainstay and has even chipped in with a couple of goals. The main goal threat though will come from veteran striker Josh Magennis, and a man 10 years his junior Millenic Alli, at 24 the Irish striker has notched a trio of goals this season, the same number as his strike partner.
Bristol Rovers are aiming for another positive end result for their efforts after a battling 1-1 draw at home to Wrexham. That draw stopped the rot for now, and David Horseman will demand the same levels again, as his side need to gain as many points as possible over this bust period to steer clear from being involved in a nervous relegation battle. The main reason for their recent poor run is a lack of goals. Scott Sinclair led the line at the weekend, but the 35-year-old has only two goals to his name so far, and Rovers need more output from him. Luke McCormick was a prospect they want more from and he too has a brace of goals from an attacking midfield position. It is the return of Promise Omerchere though that will hopefully be the spark. His goal a the weekend off the bench was greeted with obvious jubilation, and that was the third goal for the young Nigerian. Should he start Rovers will be in a good position, but Horseman will be wary not to rush him back too soon after four months out and a hectic fixture list.
Confrontation26/12/2024 League One League One 
Exeter City 
Bristol Rovers 3 1 29/10/2024 EFL Trophy EFL Trophy
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Exeter City 2 3 03/02/2024 League One League One
Exeter City
Bristol Rovers 0 1 23/01/2024 League One League One
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Exeter City 0 1 29/12/2022 League One League One
Bristol Rovers
Exeter City 3 4 Last Results - Exeter
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Where To Watch Exeter City v Bristol Rovers
- Location: St. James Park, Exeter
- Date And Time: December 26, 3pm
- TV Channel: This match will be televised live on Sky Sports+
Probable Lineups For Exeter City v Bristol Rovers
Probable Lineup For Exeter City
Team: Whitworth; McMillan, Crama, Francis; McDonald, Woods; Alli, Aitchinson, Mitchell, Niskanen; Magennis
Manager: Gary Caldwell
Probable Lineup For Bristol Rovers
Team: Griffiths; Forbes, Taylor, Wilson; Mola, Lindsay, Conteh, Moore; McCormick, Sinclair, Martin
Manager: David Horseman
Media Centre: News About Exeter City v Bristol Rovers
https://twitter.com/OfficialECFC
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