Exeter City vs Rotherham: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

After finishing bottom of the Championship, Rotherham will be desperate for an immediate return to the second tier. In their opener, they will take on an Exeter City side who finished middle of the pack in League One. The visitors are therefore favourites for this game, and we expect there to not be an upset this weekend.

Rotherham are winners of the last two meetings between the two sides, including a dominant 4-1 win in the most recent fixture. Exeter have struggled at the back, not keeping a clean sheet in five games, potentially allowing their opponents to get off to a hot start. Jonson Clarke-Harris will be a candidate to get on the scoresheet following nine goals in 16 starts last season. Exeter’s new signing averaged 1.8 shots per game, with 0.7 on target for Peterborough United.

The hosts were not prolific in front of goal last year, but have scored in each of their pre-season games. They could give Rotherham some issues at the back, but will not be able to keep them out at the other end – Exeter City 1-3 Rotherham

Rotherham travel to Exeter City for the first fixture in League One, looking to make an immediate return to the Championship.

• Date: 10/08/24
• Kick-off time: 17:30
• Venue: St James Park

It was a disaster of a season last year for Rotherham, as they finished rock bottom of the Championship with just 27 points, 18 points behind the team above them, and 24 points adrift from safety. They recorded only 37 goals as a team and conceded 89, both league worsts. It means manager Steve Evans has a big job on his hands to get them back up at the first time of asking.

However, the club’s recent stays in the third tier have not been long, and they hope that it will be the same this time. The last three times the Millers have been relegated to League One, they have bounced back after one season. Their goalscoring woes last year were highlighted by the fact Tom Eaves was their top scorer with just six goals. Only one other player reached five. They have not had a good pre-season, which ended with them winning just one of the last five.

Reinforcements have been made, though, Jonson Clarke-Harris has been signed from Peterborough in a bid to bolster their frontline. He scored nine goals last season, but 27 the year before, and Evans will be desperate for him to recapture that form.

They are hosted by an Exeter City side who finished in 13th place. They, too, struggled in front of goal, with their 46 goals scored the sixth worst in the league. Their top scorer was Reece Cole with seven goals. The Grecians added Josh Magennis to their squad from Wigan on a free transfer, where he netted seven times in 36 games. He has already found the net three times for his new side in pre-season.

This will be their third season in League One, and third under boss Gary Caldwell. In his first year they finished 14th, and after improving that position by one, they will be hopeful of another climb up the table this campaign.

These two sides have met 35 times in history, and there has not been much to split them overall. Rotherham have just edged the head-to-head, winning 14 games to Exeter’s 12 with nine draws. However, they have not played against each other since 2013, when the pair were both in League Two. Both games in that season ended in victories for Rotherham. The first was a 1-0 win away, before they won the reverse fixture 4-1 at home.

Exeter City vs Rotherham will be available to watch on Sky Sports+.

Exeter City

Exeter were dealt a blow as Yanic Wildschut was stretchered off in their final pre-season game with what looked like a serious knee injury, therefore likely ruling him out. New signings Ryan Woods, Jack McMillan and Josh Magennis will hope to make an immediate impact.

Rotherham

New signings Cameron Dawson, Liam Kelly and Jonson Clarke-Harris among others have been heavily involved in pre-season and will likely play big roles in the opening game.

Exeter:

In their last five games, Exeter have won three, drawn one and lost one. It has been a good stretch for Exeter City in pre-season ahead of the new League One campaign. They ended their preparations on a high as they beat Eastleigh 3-0 in their final game. Loanee Tristan Cama scored the opener, before Reece Cole and Josh Magennis added on.

This followed a 2-2 draw against another non-league side in Torquay United. In this game, Exeter blew a two-goal lead, including an equaliser in the dying minutes. Magennis and Jack Fitzwater were the scorers. It meant they could not put together consecutive wins after a 4-1 victory over Brentford B. The game was done by half-time, with the Grecians taking a 4-0 lead thanks to doubles from both Sonny Cox and Pedro Borges.

It was a good response to a 2-1 defeat by Bristol City. The first result of this stretch was a 1-0 win at Oxford United, now of the Championship. Magennis scored an early header which proved to be the difference between the two sides.

Rotherham:

In their last five games, Rotherham have won one, lost one and drawn three. As Rotherham look to make an immediate return to the Championship, they have had a poor end to their pre-season. The latest and final game of their preparations came against Doncaster, in which they drew 0-0.

This run of games started with a 1-1 draw against Spalding United, who are in the seventh tier of English football. They picked up a win in their next game at Alfreton Town, with a trialist, Hakeem Odoffin and Joe Powell all on the scoresheet.

Sheffield United were the next opponents, but they fell to a late Louie Marsh winner, despite Joseph Hungbo’s equaliser. They then played Grimsby Town, where they fell behind before turning it around, though they could not hold on for the win as they conceded a late equaliser.

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