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Cliftonville vs Linfield Predictions

  • 19:45
  • Expired
  • Solitude
Cliftonville
Linfield
  • Sky Sports Football

Under 2.5 Match Goals

11/10odds when tipped
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£19.00
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Draw 0-0

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Cliftonville vs Linfield Predictions

  • Cliftonville have the NIFL Premiership’s best home defensive record this season.
  • Linfield have the NIFL Premiership’s best away defensive record this season.
  • Cliftonville rank as just the eight-best home scorers in the NIFL Premiership this season.
  • Linfield rank as the sixth-best away scorers in the NIFL Premiership this season.

League leaders flying

Both the latter days of December and the early part of January have seen Cliftonville thrive. The current league leaders, Paddy McLaughlin’s men have won each of their last five, which has allowed them open up a three-point gap at the top of the table, though they have played one more game than their closest pursuers, who just so happen to be Monday’s visitors.

Recent form will encourage the hosts ahead of this match, but their overall efforts at home this term are slightly worrying. As the team setting the pace, you might expect Cliftonville to be prolific home scorers, though they’ve not really thrived in terms of goals scored and have instead opted for a more solid approach. 17 goals in 11 home matches is by no means poor, but in what in what is a high-scoring league such a total isn’t that impressive. Seven teams, in a league of just 12, have scored more home goals than Cliftonville this season.

Defensively, the hosts have done well at Solitude, conceding just six goals, keeping seven clean sheets. However, the league leaders haven’t been infallible in front of their own fans, as they’ve been beaten on three occasions. One of those three losses came against Linfield, who won by a goal to nil at this venue back in September.

Linfield on the slide

Linfield remain in a strong position just three points behind the league leaders with a game in hand, but they’d be better placed had they not slipped up of late. Monday’s visitors have won just one of their last five, two of which they’ve lost. That said, they have beaten Cliftonville on two occasions already this season, so they’re unlikely to be feeling too downbeat ahead of this fixture.

Much like their hosts at home, Linfield have taken a more subdued approach on their travels. While Cliftonville’s explosive efforts have come away from home, Linfield’s attacking strength’s have tended to come to the fore at home instead of on the road. The visitors have still scored a respectable 16 goals on their travels, though five teams have scored more. Fortunately, Linfield have the best defensive record away from home.

Lack of goals forecast

We’re talking about two of the best teams in the division, probably THE best two, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if they served up some goals. However, given their respective home and away efforts this term, ‘Under 2.5 Goals’ makes plenty of appeal at the prices. For one reason or another, Cliftonville’s best attacking efforts have generally come away from Solitude, while they’ve also done some excellent defending at home. The upshot is that only 27% of their home matches have seen more than three goals in. Much the same can be said for the visitors, who’ve seen three or more goals scored in 45% of their travelling matches this term. With neither side being soft touches at the back, defences are backed to be on top when they clash in front of the Sky Sports camera on Monday evening, after all less than two goals have gone in in each of the three recent renewals of this fixture.

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