Grimsby Town host Doncaster Rovers at Blundell Park in the Group Stage of the Vertu Trophy.
Our Three Predictions For Grimsby Town vs Doncaster Rovers
- First Prediction: Double Chance – Grimsby Town or Draw – 13/25
- Second Prediction: Both Teams To Score – 12/25
- Third Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals – 3/5
First Prediction For Grimsby Town vs Doncaster Rovers – Double Chance – Grimsby Town Or Draw – 13/25
Grimsby enter this game in solid form but are expected to heavily rotate. However, so are Doncaster and this is arguably a must win game for the Mariners to stay in this competition. They lost 2-1 to Bradford City in their first Group Stage game a month ago. Since then, they’ve progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. The Lincolnshire-based side enter this game on the back of two impressive results, having beaten Cheltenham Town 7-1 before an excellent 2-0 victory over Salford City on Saturday.
Doncaster ended a run of three successive defeats at the weekend, although would still have been disappointed to have only picked up a point against struggling Burton Albion. They opened their Group Stage account with a late 2-1 win over Everton under-21s, and a point here would set them up well to progress. However, poor form is hard to shake off and even though they are a division higher, it wouldn’t be a major shock to see the home side pick up the victory.
Second Prediction For Grimsby Town vs Doncaster Rovers – Both Teams To Score – 12/25
Grimsby have been somewhat free scoring this season. With 23 league goals to their name, nobody in League Two has scored more and they will need to take that form into this game. However, they are averaging over one goal conceded per game. Saturday’s clean sheet against Salford City was their first in the league since they beat Walsall in August, although the Mariners did shut out Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup in September.
Doncaster haven’t been in great goalscoring form in recent weeks and have lost to nil in their past two away games. Prior to that though, only Huddersfield Town had stopped them finding the back of the net. This game may not be a priority for Grant McCann, but he will view it as an opportunity to install a bit of confidence in his squad ahead of next weekend’s trip to Leyton Orient.
Third Prediction For Grimsby Town vs Doncaster Rovers – Over 2.5 Goals – 3/5
Grimsby have been an entertaining watch so far this season, with their 11 league games generating 36 goals thus far. This has been mirrored in cup competitions with a 3-1 win over Shrewsbury Town before their famous penalty shootout victory over Manchester United in the second round following a 2-2 draw. The Mariners have played one game in this competition to date, with that ending in a 2-1 defeat at Bradford City.
This is also Doncaster’s second game of their EFL Trophy campaign. They left it late to pick up a 2-1 win over Everton under 21s in early September, four days before they beat Bradford 3-1 in League One. That remains their last victory though, and they enter this game on run of three defeats and a draw. Two of those four games did go over the 2.5 goal marker.
Best Odds For Grimsby Town vs Doncaster Rovers
| Bookmaker | Grimsby Town | Draw | Doncaster Rovers |
| NRGBet Sports | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| Bet442 Sport | 9/5 | 12/5 | 13/10 |
| 7bet Sports | 12/7 | 5/2 | 13/10 |
Full Preview Of The Game: Last Results And Head-To-Head:
Grimsby hit the headlines in August when they knocked Premier League giants Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup. However, to focus solely on that game would be somewhat of an injustice for David Artell’s side. The Mariners have shown that they are well in the fight to secure promotion to League One and currently sit in that last automatic spot in third. They began their League Two campaign strongly, remaining unbeaten in their opening five matches. This included wins over Crawley Town (3-0), Newport County (2-1) and Walsall (1-0), whilst they picked up a point against Harrogate Town (3-3) and Accrington Stanley (1-1). A first defeat came at the end of August when the slipped to a 1-0 reverse against Bristol Rovers, but the Lincolnshire-based side returned to winning ways at the first time of asking with an impressive 3-2 victory at Milton Keynes Dons. After suffering a mini blip with one point in two games, they emphatically put seven past Cheltenham Town. They enter this game on the back of a 2-0 win over Salford City. Their only game in this competition came a month ago, where they fell to a 2-1 loss at Bradford City.
Doncaster returned to League One in August, beginning with back-to-back wins over Exeter City (1-0) and Mansfield Town (2-1). They took a break from their league exploits to hammer Championship high-fliers Middlesbrough 4-0 in the Carabao Cup, but dropped points when they drew 1-1 with Wycombe Wanderers before losing 2-0 at Huddersfield Town. Five successive wins in all competitions followed, including their opening game in this competition when they beat Everton under-21s 2-1. However, they now enter this game on the back of five games without a win, although stopped a run of four defeats with a 1-1 draw against Burton Albion on Saturday.
Grimsby won the last meeting between the two teams when they left the Eco-Power Stadium with a 2-1 victory in League Two in February. However, Doncaster have scored eight in their last two visits to Blundell Park, winning 3-0 a year ago and 5-1 in February 2024. Their last meeting in this competition came in 2018, with Rovers picking up a 2-0 triumph. Overall, the Yorkshire-based side edge the head-to-head record, winning 22 of their previous 52 meetings. Grimsby have won 20 whilst there has been 10 draws.
07/10/2025
EFL Trophy
EFL Trophy
Grimsby Doncaster 0 3 15/02/2025
League Two
League Two
Doncaster Rovers Grimsby Town 1 2 05/10/2024
League Two
League Two
Grimsby Town Doncaster Rovers 0 3 17/02/2024
League Two
League Two
Grimsby Town Doncaster Rovers 1 5 28/10/2023
League Two
League Two
Doncaster Rovers Grimsby Town 1 0 08/11/2025
League Two
League Two
Barrow Grimsby 2 2 D 04/11/2025
EFL Trophy
EFL Trophy
Grimsby Everton U21 5 3 W 01/11/2025
FA Cup
FA Cup
Grimsby Ebbsfleet 3 1 W 28/10/2025
League Cup
League Cup
Grimsby Brentford 0 5 L 25/10/2025
League Two
League Two
Crewe Grimsby 3 2 L 11/11/2025
EFL Trophy
EFL Trophy
Doncaster Bradford City 3 1 W 08/11/2025
League One
League One
Doncaster Barnsley 1 2 L 01/11/2025
FA Cup
FA Cup
Crewe Doncaster 1 2 W 25/10/2025
League One
League One
Reading Doncaster 1 1 D 18/10/2025
League One
League One
Doncaster Northampton 1 2 LConfrontation
Last Results - Grimsby
Last Results - Doncaster
Where To Watch Grimsby Town vs Doncaster Rovers
Where can I watch this game, either in person or on TV?
- Location: Blundell Park, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, DN35 7PZ
- Date: October 7th, 2025
- TV Channel: Sky Sports +
Probable Lineups For Grimsby Town vs Doncaster Rovers
Predicted Grimsby Town Lineup
- Lineup: Auton; Onoh, McJannet, Graham, Staunton; McEachran, Khouri; Amaluzor, Brown, Soonsup-Bell; Rose
- Injured/Suspended: Gilsenan
- Manager: David Artell
Predicted Doncaster Rovers Lineup
- Lineup: Lawlor; Sterry, Grehan, McGrath, Senior; Bailey, Close, Sbarra; Olusanya, Ajayi; Hanlan
- Injured/Suspended: Clifton, O’Riordan
- Manager: Grant McCann
