Bradford City host Rochdale in the EFL Cup first round, with a place in round two at stake. CheckLive's pre-match data does not name a favourite, and that is an honest reflection of a tie that looks close. A draw is very much in the picture.
Bradford come into this off a friendly-heavy run: they drew 2-2 with Salford City, beat Preston North End 3-2 and SV Gmundern Milch 4-0, lost 0-1 to Accrington Stanley, and thumped FC Halifax Town 6-1. Rochdale already have a competitive EFL Cup win under their belts, beating Tranmere Rovers 4-3, though their friendlies read 2-3 loss to FC Halifax Town, a 2-2 draw with Farnham Town, and two 3-3 draws with Al-Rayyan.
The head-to-head is level: five previous meetings, two wins each and one draw. The most recent, a friendly in July 2023, went Rochdale's way 1-0. Bradford have scored regularly in their warm-up games, while Rochdale have conceded in every result listed, so the side that tightens up defensively is likely to edge this one.
