Eastleigh come into this with three defeats in a row and only one win in their last six league matches, while Forest Green have split their last six almost evenly with three wins and three losses. That sort of recent pattern points more toward an open game than a cagey one, especially with Eastleigh conceding in 24 straight league matches. Forest Green have been more reliable for goals on the road too, scoring 27 and conceding 25 in away league games, which keeps both teams in the frame.

Eastleigh’s home record is still leaky, with 27 scored and 37 conceded across 20 league games at home, and they were beaten 2-0 by Sutton United on 24 March after Nick Townsend’s red card tilted that match early. Forest Green also arrive off a defeat, losing 1-0 at Tamworth on 25 March, but their season profile is stronger overall and they have scored 64 league goals already. The bigger point for this market is that neither side has been consistently shutting opponents out.

The head-to-head also leans towards goals, with both teams scoring in eight of the last nine meetings. Forest Green have won three of those eight fixtures and avoided defeat in six, so they usually handle this matchup well, but the scorelines have often stayed alive for both attacks. That is enough to keep over 2.5 firmly in view even if the most recent meeting finished 1-0.

There is a small tension in the numbers because the most recent games for both clubs were low-scoring, and Forest Green’s last away match ended 0-1 at Tamworth. Even so, the broader season splits and Eastleigh’s long clean-sheet drought point back toward at least three goals being available. Eastleigh’s home matches average 1.9 total goals and Forest Green’s away games average 2.6, which is close to the line rather than comfortably beneath it.

My prediction is Over 2.5 Goals at 13/20. Eastleigh have gone 24 league matches without a clean sheet, Forest Green have scored 27 away league goals, and both teams have scored in eight of the last nine head-to-heads. Eastleigh’s home games and Forest Green’s away matches both lean toward scorelines that can reach three goals, even if recent results have been a little tighter.