Crewe vs Barnsley Predictions

• Crewe currently sit third in League Two, losing just six times so far this season and scoring 46 goals.
• Barnsley are in the relegation places in the Championship, winning just four times this season and struggling for form.
• Crewe average 1.91 goals per game this season and have six players who have scored three or more this season.
• Barnsley average just 1.26 goals per game this season, struggling for goals from sources outside of Chaplin and Woodrow.

Can Crewe continue a great season by progressing in the FA Cup?

Crewe have exceeded expectations so far this season, winning 12 of their 24 games this season and climbing to third in the league, currently occupying the final automatic promotion place in League Two. They’ve lost just six times so far this season and have conceded just 1.2 goals per game on average with the whole squad performing well. Goals haven’t been an issue for the side with six players scoring three times or more this season as they try and gain promotion to League One.

Crewe were dumped out of the FA Cup in the first round last season, something that has been somewhat of a theme in recent years with the team only making the second round once in the past eight years. Reaching the third round this season has been somewhat of an achievement and they’ll be keen to progress further and embark on a cup run to match their league successes so far.

Will Barnsley be able to avoid the embarrassment of a cup exit?

Barnsley haven’t enjoyed a good season so far this year, sitting second bottom of The Championship and looking relegation in the face with the three point gap to safety not really lessening over the past few weeks. The team have scored just 1.26 goals per game on average, a return that is even less impressive when you consider than 17 of their 33 goals have been scored by Chaplin or Woodrow and the team could find themselves in big trouble if either of their strikers stop finding the net with regularity.

The FA Cup hasn’t been too kind to the side in recent years with no cup run beyond the third round since 2013 and no real excitement for the side over the past few years. There are some that think a cup run could be a big distraction as the club fight for their lives in The Championship whilst others think a cup win over what is deemed to be weaker opposition could give them a boost in the league.

Is a cup shock on the cards?

A cup upset looks a little likely in this fixture with only 26 places between the two sides and such differing fortunes this season. Crewe will be full of confidence coming off the back of three wins in their last four whilst Barnsley haven’t won in three and could well want this game out of the way in order to concentrate on their league campaign. With that in mind, we’re backing Crewe on the handicap with The Alex given a +0.25 advantage. This means a Crewe wins gets us a full payout whilst a draw would give us a half win.

Whilst we think Crewe will come out of this game with the win, we think it’ll be a close encounter and quite nervy at times. As a result, we’re backing Crewe to win 1-0, a result that would be enough to get them into the fourth round of the cup and boost their excellent season even further. Barnsley, whilst be disappointed with a loss, won’t dwell on a defeat here as they aim to escape the drop to League One where the two teams could meet again next season.