Rochdale vs Grimsby Town prediction, odds and how to watch

Bradford City saw off Rochdale 2-0 in the Carabao Cup first round, but a conversion rate that should embarrass a Sunday league side means the margin of victory flatters no one. The result is the result. The performance is a different conversation.

Blackpool progressed in the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 win at Blundell Park, a result that flattered the visitors given how much of the game Grimsby controlled. The stats tell a story of a match that the scoreline does not fully capture.

A 2-2 draw at Salford City on the final day of the League Two season saw both sides share the spoils, with the result doing little to shift the broader picture in a division that had already settled its most significant questions.

Salford City took all three points at Blundell Park, winning 2-1 in a League Two fixture that summed up Grimsby's frustrating campaign. The visitors showed the desire and basics that the home side simply could not match.

Grimsby Town delivered one of their most commanding performances of the League Two season, dismantling Swindon Town four goals to nil in a result that underlined everything that has made them such a formidable force in 2025/26.

Bradford City open their Carabao Cup campaign at home to Rochdale on Saturday, carrying the weight of a difficult domestic run into a competition where cup football has a habit of producing surprises.