Football Bet of the Day: FGR to reach National League summit with win on Wednesday

Wednesday's Football Bet of the Day takes us to The New Lawn in Nailsworth where promotion-chasing Forest Green Rovers host Dagenham & Redbridge in the National League. With leaders York City not in action until Saturday, FGR can reach the summit - for a few days at least - with a win in midweek, but their visitors will also be looking for a positive result to create more distance between themselves and the relegation zone.

Below is my Football Bet of the Day for Wednesday, January 8.

Football Odds

Following back-to-back relegations that saw them sink from League 1 down to the fifth tier of English football, Forest Green Rovers are finally enjoying some success again as they sit second in the National League, behind only York City who are a point better off after 24 games played.

Perhaps their results are to be expected given the finances on offer at The New Lawn and the fact they are managed by Football League veteran Steve Cotterill. Nevertheless, Rovers have still had to go out and do the business on the pitch, and, to an extent, they have, although they are currently trailing the Minstermen with less than half the season to go.

A 13-game unbeaten run should have Cotterill's side confident that they can soon overtake York, who have lost two of their last seven league matches. Converting draws into wins will be key for FGR as four of their last six National League contests have ended in a stalemate.

Another crucial factor will be maintaining their strong home form with Rovers unbeaten in 11 league games at The New Lawn this season. They haven't been particularly prolific in front of goal, scoring just 20 times at home - seven clubs have struck more times on their own patch - but only Rochdale (seven goals conceded), who have played one game fewer, boast a better defensive record than FGR (eight).

Forest Green Rovers vs Dagenham & Redbridge Odds

Dagenham & Redbridge, meanwhile, are 15th, 19 points off FGR, and are as close to the relegation zone as they are to the play-offs. The Daggers won last time out, beating Ebbsfleet 2-0 at the Stonebridge Road Stadium on New Year's Day, but their hosts were rock bottom on just nine points and look destined for the drop, so we can't read too much into that victory. Of more significance is their away record as a whole, which has them at 15th in the National League with a points haul of 10 from 12 games.

The Daggers' victory at Ebbsfleet was just their second of the season away from home in England's fifth tier, the first of which came at Hartlepool (0-1) on September 21. They have beaten Football League opponents, Crewe Alexandra (0-1) and AFC Wimbledon (1-2), away from home in the FA Cup, but they've really struggled to translate those wins to the National League, and merely finding the back of the net has proven troublesome on their travels.

Dagenham & Redbridge have scored just 10 times in 12 away outings, blanking in 33.3 per cent (four) of those trips; only six clubs have recorded a higher percentage. Their opponents on Wednesday, Rovers, have scored in all 11 home games this term, a menacing statistic considering their troubles on the road.

FGR have kept a clean sheet in 36 per cent (four) of their league matches in Nailsworth and 45 per cent have seen two or fewer goals scored. They beat Yeovil 2-1 last time out at The New Lawn but, prior to that New Year's Day victory, their previous four home games - three of which they won - saw under 2.5 total goals.

Rovers to win and under 2.5 total goals has landed four times in the National League at The New Lawn this season while half (three) of the Daggers' six defeats on the road have seen two or fewer goals scored.

As a result, at 13/5, I like the look of a Rovers victory and under 2.5 total goals, and it's that selection which features as my Football Bet of the Day for Wednesday, January 8.

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