Rotherham vs Newcastle U21 Prediction: Millers’ strength should come through

Rotherham United made an excellent start to their EFL Trophy campaign when they beat League 1 high-fliers Mansfield in their opening clash and they should be confident that they can see off Newcastle United's U21 team at the Aesseal New York Stadium on Tuesday (19:00).

The young Magpies claimed their first victory in the competition in almost seven years last month when they beat Bradford in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw at Valley Parade. Read on for my Rotherham vs Newcastle U21 prediction.

Team News

Rotherham manager Steve Evans is expected to make several changes after the weekend win over Reading, with Sean Raggett and Liam Kelly two of those set to sit out.

Football Odds

Newcastle could keep faith with the team that beat a strong Aston Villa line-up in their last Premier League 2 game with their goalscorers against Bradford, Ben Parkinson and Josh Donaldson, leading the line.

Rotherham vs Newcastle U21 Odds

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Rotherham are 3/10 to claim a victory in 90 minutes at the New York Stadium, with Newcastle U21 6/1 to pull off a surprise victory and the draw available at 4/1.

Over 2.5 goals can be backed at 4/7 - under 2.5 goals is 5/4 - while punters can get 5/6 for both teams to score.

Rotherham are 8/11 to be winning at half-time and a repeat of their 2-0 win over Mansfield is 11/2 while another 2-2 draw, which Newcastle managed on their last EFL Trophy trip to Bradford, is 16/1.

To Win to Nil - Rotherham @ 6/5

It is difficult to assess the relevant abilities of Under-21 teams with such a turnover of players from season to season, but there will have been a sense of relief that Newcastle ended a run of 16 EFL Trophy losses against Bradford last time.

Nevertheless, this looks a much tougher game against a side who were playing in the Championship this time last season and have lost just one of their last nine home games.

That defeat came against League 1 leaders Birmingham City and even if Evans shuffles the pack as expected, they should be able to keep the young Magpies at bay, just as they did in a much more difficult tie against Mansfield in their previous outing in this competition.

Correct Score - Rotherham 2-0 @ 11/2

Newcastle came out on top in a game against Aston Villa where Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara featured on the opposite side in the last outing, but this looks like a massive task.

A victory without any injuries will be the priority for Evans, so it would not be a surprise if the Millers eased up if they can take early control.

They have scored twice in five of their last seven home matches, including Saturday’s 2-1 win over Reading, and a 2-0 home win may be of interest to those looking for a correct-score selection, with seven of Newcastle’s last 11 games featuring fewer than three goals.

Offers

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