Greenock Morton vs Queen's Park: match statistics

Both teams have lost 4 of their last 5 matches, while Greenock Morton have lost all 5 of their most recent home games, making it difficult to identify a clear favourite. The hosts do, however, hold an attacking edge: at home they average 0.6 goals and 2.6 shots on target per match, compared with Queen's Park's 0.2 goals and 1 shot on target away from home. The visitors have failed to score in 80% of their away matches, which could limit their chances despite Morton's average of 2 goals conceded at home. The quality of chances created also slightly favours the hosts: their home xG stands at 0.80, compared with Queen's Park's 0.65 away, while the visitors allow opponents chances worth an average xG of 1.82. I predict a narrow Morton win, although the poor form of both sides means a draw remains a realistic outcome.

The strongest argument for BTTS - No is Queen's Park's poor scoring record: they average just 0.2 goals away from home and fail to score in 80% of matches. The visitors average only 1 shot on target per game, with an away xG of 0.65, so even the fact that Greenock Morton concede an average of 1.75 goals at home does not make a Queen's Park goal a certainty. The hosts are not guaranteed to score either, averaging 0.75 goals at home and drawing a blank in 50% of matches. Both teams have scored in 50% of Morton's matches and just 20% of Queen's Park's, compared with a league average of 38%. Therefore, it is more likely that at least one team will fail to score, although both sides' defensive weaknesses leave some chance of goals at both ends.

The strongest signal points to Under 3.5 goals: neither team has exceeded this line in the matches covered by the available statistics. Queen's Park average just 0.2 goals and have failed to score in 80% of those matches, limiting the chances of a high-scoring game. Greenock Morton average 0.75 goals, although the visitors’ defence allows chances worth 1.82 xG per match, so I assign the hosts the larger share of the projected 2.10 goals. Caution is still warranted, as the hosts have conceded an average of 2.0 goals and the visitors 1.8 over their last five matches; even so, I put the probability of four goals at 18%.

Greenock Morton had not led at the break in any of their 4 home matches, drawing 2; Queen's Park had likewise failed to lead at half-time in any of their 5 away fixtures. The visitors scored no first-half goals in those matches, while the hosts averaged just 0.25 goals before the break, making a half-time draw the most likely outcome. Over the full match, however, Morton have the clearer attacking edge: they average 0.75 goals compared with the visitors' 0.20 and record 3.75 shots on target against 1.00. Morton's xG of 1.00 compared with Queen's Park's 0.65, as well as the visitors conceding an average of 0.60 goals after half-time, also point to a late home win. The X/1 pick remains cautious, as Morton have won only 25% of their home matches so far, but the visitors' poor away scoring record, having failed to score in 80% of their games, tips the balance in the hosts' favour.