Newport County Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Newport County-
1Clinton Mola1 - 2Tommy Leigh1
- 3Kyle Cameron1
- 4Shaquille Gwengwe1
- 5Yahya Bamba1
- 1Shaq Forde4
- 2Ciarán Brennan3
- 3Bobby Kamwa2
- 4Harrison Biggins2
- 5Clinton Mola2
- 6Tommy Leigh2
- 7Yahya Bamba2
- 8Lee Jenkins1
- 9Christian Doidge1
- 10Fabrizio Cavegn1
- 1Lee Jenkins3
- 2Cameron Evans2
- 3Harrison Biggins2
- 4Jack Sparkes2
- 5Kofi Balmer1
- 6Ciarán Brennan1
- 7Shaq Forde1
- 8Clinton Mola1
- 9Keenan Gough1
- 10Yahya Bamba1
- 1Harrison Biggins1
- 2Fabrizio Cavegn1
- 3Yahya Bamba1
- 1Fabrizio Cavegn3
- 2Harrison Biggins2
- 3Keenan Gough2
- 4Tom Davies2
- 5Shaq Forde1
- 6Cameron Norman1
- 7Tommy Leigh1
- 8Joe Quigley1
- 9Kyle Cameron1
- 10Shaquille Gwengwe1
- 1Riley Harbottle21
- 2Ciarán Brennan20
- 3Clinton Mola19
- 4Tom Davies18
- 5Keenan Gough17
- 6Macauley Southam-Hales17
- 7Brad Young16
- 8Kyle Cameron15
- 9Cameron Norman14
- 10Harrison Biggins13
- 1Ciarán Brennan1
- 2Cameron Norman1
- 3Harrison Biggins1
- 4Fabrizio Cavegn1
- 5Yahya Bamba1
- 6Riley Harbottle1
- 1Ciarán Brennan3
- 2Clinton Mola2
- 3Lee Jenkins1
- 4Matt Smith1
- 5Gerard Garner1
- 6Keenan Gough1
- 7Kyle Cameron1
- 8Yahya Bamba1
- 9Jack Sparkes1
- 10Tom Davies1
Bristol RoversNo absentees
Newport CountyNo absentees
Bristol Rovers vs Newport County gets the League Two season going at the Memorial Stadium on Saturday at 12.30pm, with the hosts strong favourites despite an opening-day defeat.
Rovers were beaten on their travels while Newport made a flying start, but the market still favours the home side. Andy Francis has the best bets, a score prediction and the head-to-head record below.
Premium Tips
Andy makes the hosts a confident selection, expecting Bristol Rovers to put things right in front of their own fans.
| Premium Tip | Odds | Why we’re backing it |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol Rovers to win and over 2.5 goals | 6/4 | Both sides opened the season looking anything but tight at the back. Rovers went toe-to-toe with newly-promoted York, scoring twice through Clinton Mola and a Tommy Leigh penalty but still shipping three, while Newport’s back line will have taken confidence from a clean sheet against Rochdale that owed as much to their own attacking dominance as defensive solidity. At the Mem, with home advantage and an attack already looking sharp in Cavegn and Forde, Rovers look well placed to get the win. Given the porous nature of both defences on opening day, goals at both ends make over 2.5 a logical follow-up. |
| Fabrizio Cavegn to score anytime, Shaq Forde and Christian Doidge over 0.5 shots on target | 8/1 | Cavegn remains the focal point of the Rovers attack after a 2025/26 campaign that included a hat-trick and a string of goal contributions, and he was straight back involved on the opening day, laying the ball into the path of Mola for Rovers’ opener at York with a clever flick from a long ball. Forde has started the season as a regular fixture in the Rovers front line, playing 90 minutes in the EFL Cup and 84 in the league opener, and his willingness to dribble and drive at defenders naturally creates shooting opportunities of his own. On the other side, Doidge marked his Newport debut by forcing a good save from the Rochdale goalkeeper, underlining that the experienced frontman is still getting into dangerous positions early doors. |
18+ only. Please gamble responsibly. GambleAware — gambleaware.org · Odds correct at time of publishing.
How Bristol Rovers go into the game
Bristol Rovers were edged out 3-2 at York in a breathless opener, a result that will have frustrated a side with real promotion hopes. The Memorial Stadium is a tough venue and they will expect to bounce straight back.
There are goals in this team, even if the defence looked shaky on the opening day. Against lower-fancied opposition, their quality should shine through at home.
How Newport County go into the game
Newport made a superb start, thrashing Rochdale 3-0 at Rodney Parade to signal their intent. Confidence will be sky-high after such an emphatic opening-day display.
The trip to a promotion-chasing Rovers side is a very different examination, however. Newport will need to defend far better than the hosts managed last week to spring a surprise.
Bristol Rovers vs Newport County head-to-head
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31/01/26 | Bristol Rovers | 3-0 | Newport |
| 06/09/25 | Newport | 2-3 | Bristol Rovers |
| 05/03/22 | Newport | 1-0 | Bristol Rovers |
| 23/10/21 | Bristol Rovers | 1-3 | Newport |
Honours are even across the last four meetings, with two wins apiece.
Bristol Rovers vs Newport County predictions & betting tips
| Our Prediction | Odds & Bookmaker | Confidence | Why We’re Backing It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Rovers to win | 4/7 | ⭐⭐⭐ | Promotion fancies, strong at home. |
| Over 1.5 goals | 2/5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Goals in both sides’ openers. |
| Bristol Rovers or draw (Double Chance) | 2/9 | ⭐⭐⭐ | Banker-style cover on the Gas. |
| Over 2.5 goals | 4/5 | ⭐⭐ | Neither kept it tight last weekend. |
| Bristol Rovers to win 2-1 | 8/1 | ⭐⭐ | Our headline scoreline. |
Bristol Rovers vs Newport County score prediction
Newport arrive on a high but Bristol Rovers have far more firepower and the backing of a big home crowd. Expect the Gas to make their class count, even if Newport find the net. Score prediction: Bristol Rovers 2-1 Newport County.
