Larne vs Crusaders Predictions

Larne welcome Crusaders to Inver Park on Monday evening, as they go in search of a win in front of the Sky Sports cameras. The visitors, who’ve slipped from their lofty perch, will be looking for a first league win in five matches.

It was a tough October for Larne, who lost three on the bounce, including two defeats at this venue, though they’ve since bounced back. They first drew against Institute, while they built on that to deliver a convincing performance away against Ballymena last time out, winning by three goals to nil. Such a win should mean that Tiernan Lynch’s men come into this game full of confidence.

Something else that will leave the hosts feeling upbeat ahead of this clash is the fact that they’ve scored plenty of goals at home this term. Larne have notched 17 times at Inver Park, scoring an average of 2.83 goals. At the other end, they’ve not exactly been sharp, shipping eight in six, but the fact that the attacking efforts of his men have often outweighed the defensive deficiencies will certainly pleased Lynch.

Unfortunately for the hosts, Crusaders have done a good job defensively on their travels this term, losing just one out of five. Then again, for all they’re one of the league’s best team in terms of goals conceded, they’ve still shipped seven goals in five travelling matches, so it’s not like the visitors have been watertight at the back.

Crusaders are without a clean sheet on their travels this term, but they’ve scored nearly double the number of goals that they’ve conceded and have certainly made their mark offensively, notching two or more in four out of five.

From a betting point of view, this is a tricky game. A case can easily be made for goals, though the prices offer little value on that front. One angle that does stick out is. There’s not much between this pair, as their goal tallies suggest, while there’s also not a great deal between the home efforts of Larne and the travelling efforts of Crusaders. Neither side has exactly thrived defensively, but both have shown plenty going forward. On this basis, a tentative vote is given to the draw, which may just be ever so slightly generously priced.

In the ‘Correct Score’ market, the 2-2 catches the eye. Both Larne and Crusaders have been fluent in the final third in their respective home and away games. Larne average over two goals per home game, while the same can be said for the visitors. Ahead of a tough-to-call game, a relatively high-scoring draw is the way to go.