📊 Form Guide

Newry City

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Newry City will be hoping for a better result after a 6-0 Premiership loss in their previous game against Linfield.

Matthew Fitzpatrick (14'), Kyle McClean (30', 41'), Kirk Millar (40'), Jamie Mulgrew (67') and Braiden Graham (71') scored for Linfield.

Matches involving Newry City have usually been absorbing encounters of late with high scoring expected. Over their past half dozen games, a grand total of 21 goals have gone in for both sides combined (at an average of 3.5 goals per game) with 4 of these accredited to Newry City. Let’s see whether or not that trend will end up being continued on in this game.

Going into this encounter, Newry City haven’t won at home in the past 25 league matches. It's getting extremely desperate.

Crusaders

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In their previous game, Crusaders drew 1-1 in the Premiership tie with Coleraine.

The only name on the scoresheet from Crusaders was Jordan Forsythe (69'). Josh Carson (29') scored for Coleraine.

Over the course of their previous 6 outings, Crusaders have amassed a tally of 11 goals. Crusaders have also scored in every single one of those games. In that time, they’ve seen 7 goals scored by their opponents.

🤜🤛 Head to head

A study of their past head to head results going back to 11/01/2019 shows that these encounters have not been good ones for Newry City. They have not been able to come away with any victories at all whereas Crusaders have been superior, beating them in 83 per cent of those games where they have faced each other.

A sum of 18 goals were shared by the two clubs in these games, with 3 from City and 15 being from The Hatchetmen. That’s an average goals per game figure of 3.

The previous league game featuring these clubs was Premiership match day 19 on 02/12/2023 which ended up with the score at Crusaders 1-1 Newry City.

The referee was Declan Hassan.

📋 Team News: Newry City

Almost everyone can be considered, as there’s just one fitness concern for the Newry City gaffer Barry Gray to be concerned about from of an almost fully healthy set of players. Ryan McGivern (Hamstring injury) is sidelined.

📋 Team News: Crusaders

Crusaders manager Stephen Baxter has not got a full squad to pick from. Paul Heatley (Hamstring injury), Jimmy Callacher (Cruciate ligament tear) and Josh Robinson (Cruciate ligament injury) will not be playing here.

✨ Prediction

Looking at these two teams, we feel that Crusaders will most probably be in control for long periods of time and should be able to convert a few of their chances.

At the other end, Newry City will be up against it scoring goals of their own but we think it’s quite likely that they will be converting at least once.

We’re therefore expecting to see a controlled 1-3 win for Crusaders at the end of this one.

Our expert partners are tipping under 3.5 goals for this match. Check out their VIP predictions here.

Renata Leite, 14:03 23/03/2024