Fleetwood Town: 50 league matches in the bank, 7 from this season and the rest from last season. Rochdale: 50 league matches in the bank, 7 from this season and the rest from last season in the National League.
The question this step asks
Step one is THE TABLE: rank against rank, and the blocks -- the table cut into a top, middle and bottom block, drawn from last season's final standings. The question is not just where each side stands but how it behaves against the company the other keeps: does it play to rank against the blocks above and below, or come apart?
The two sides
Fleetwood Town -- at home
Where it stands
Stands 11th of 24 after 7 games, with 10 points. Last season it finished 15th of 24 in this division.
Its block
By last season's final table it sits in the middle block (9th to 16th). Blocks are drawn from last season because the current table is only 7 games old.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side new to its division, and none of the matches we hold were against that block -- nothing to read.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 1, drew 6, lost 10 of 17 (0.53 a game); against the middle block won 5, drew 6, lost 3 of 14 (1.50 a game); against the bottom block won 9, drew 7, lost 3 of 19 (1.79 a game).
Rochdale -- away
Where it stands
Stands 17th of 24 after 7 games, with 7 points. It was not in this division last season -- it came up from the National League, where it finished 1st of 24.
Its block
New to the division this season, so it takes no block from last season's final table.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side from the middle block (9th to 16th). Against that block it has won 12, drew 4, lost 2 of 18 -- 40 points of 54. At home against them: won 7 of 8. Away against them: won 5 of 10.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 7, drew 5, lost 3 of 15 (1.73 a game); against the middle block won 12, drew 4, lost 2 of 18 (2.22 a game); against the bottom block won 13, drew 0, lost 4 of 17 (2.29 a game).
Built 00:05 from matches completed before
kick-off. Every figure is an observed count with its denominator —
not a forecast, and nothing here is a tip or a selection.