At the time of writing, Altrincham are still to play their midweek game against Gateshead, but their first six fixtures have brought two wins and four defeats.
Sutton picked up their first win of the season at the weekend against Carlisle and will now be looking to build some momentum.
Andy’s Bet Club’s football analyst will break down Altrincham’s recent clash with Eastleigh to see what the statistics indicate about how they might set up against Sutton United.
Eastleigh vs Altrincham
Although Altrincham lost this match 2-1, they dominated the xG with 2.93 compared to Eastleigh’s 0.75. Both sides created chances of similar quality, with an average xG per shot of 0.18.
Altrincham’s high xG came primarily from dominating possession. They moved the ball around the pitch with a high number of lateral passes at 194. They also attempted riskier passes to move the ball up the pitch and create shooting scenarios, achieving 70% accuracy for progressive passes compared to 45% for Eastleigh.
Crosses were another major source of chances, with Altrincham delivering 28 to Eastleigh’s nine. 17 of those were into the penalty area, showing their tactic to use wide areas to create shooting opportunities.
Defensively, Altrincham were strong, winning 71% of defensive duels and 67% of aerial duels, while keeping discipline with just 10 fouls conceded.
Final Thoughts:
In this match, Altrincham are likely to dominate possession with an average of 53% so far in their matches this season, compared to 44% for Sutton.
In this possession, they can likely expect Altrincham to deliver a high number of crosses into the box with an average of 12 this season, compared to the nine Sutton have faced.
Sutton should be cautious when Altrincham is near their goal and aim to prevent them from shooting, given their shot accuracy of 43% this season, a significant difference compared to the 30% of Sutton’s opponents.
Aerial duels could also play a big role. Sutton games average 72 per match compared to just 46 in Altrincham’s, but Altrincham have a stronger record, winning 47% compared to Sutton’s 40%. Sutton may look to keep the ball on the ground more to limit these contests.
Discipline could be another area where Sutton find an edge. While both sides commit a similar number of fouls, Altrincham have averaged 3.5 yellow cards per match compared to Sutton’s 1.3. If Sutton can maintain their discipline, Altrincham’s high booking rate could leave them vulnerable to a red card.
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