Cliftonville vs Barry Town Predictions

Last week’s first leg wasn’t a classic, what with no goals and just a single shot on target, though it has kept the tie very much alive ahead of this game. Having avoided defeat on the road, Cliftonville will fancy themselves to get the job done now back in front of a home crowd.

Judging by the result, the match played at Jenner Park last week was a close one, though there was only ever one team in it. Despite playing on their own patch, Barry struggled to get into the game, as they saw only 35% of the possession, with which they mustered only four shots on goal, none of which hit the target. They did of course avoid defeat, but such an effort does not bode well ahead of an away game.

In contrast, although they didn’t get their noses in front, Cliftonville performed reasonably well last week, as they dominated proceedings, registering no less than 14 shots. The fact that only one of those 14 tested the opposing keeper was disappointing, though the fact that the Northern Irish side ended the game with an expected goal difference of +0.76 suggests that they’ve got enough about them to settle the tie now back at Solitude.

If we use the first leg as a basis, then it’s very tough to go against the hosts, who looked to be much the better of the two teams a week ago. That said, at the current prices, there appears to be little value in backing a mere home win. Backing the hosts to simply emerge victorious may not be a worthwhile option, but a small play on ‘Cliftonville to Win & Under 3.5 Goals’ is viable.

Their performance away from home in the first leg wasn’t dazzling but it was considerably better than Barry’s effort, which tells us that the Northern Irishmen can get the job done on their own patch. However, their attacking efforts at Jenner Park don’t exactly point towards a high-scoring win, nor does the fact they’ve never scored more than twice in a home Europa League qualifier, despite facing some weak sides such as Differdange (Luxembourg), so backing the hosts to come out on top without running riot is the way to go.