Connahs Quay vs Edinburgh City Predictions

In-form Connah’s Quay will host Edinburgh City in the Deeside Stadium as the sides attempt to make it to the Challenge Cup final. Who will come out on top?

The Welsh Premier League team Connah’s Quay will welcome Edinburgh City to the Deeside stadium in the Challenge Cup semi-final. This tournament, which is organised by the Scottish Professional Football League, has included teams from lower divisions in various countries from the UK & Ireland since the 2016/2017 season.

The Nomads currently lead the Welsh Premiership by two points, sitting just in front of The New Saints and Barry Town United. Manager Andy Morrison, who played for Blackburn Rovers the season before they went on to win the Premier League in 1995, has ensured that his side stays at the top, in part thanks to some impressive performances over the course of the season, which includes a 7-game unbeaten run at the start of the season.

Since December, the Nomads have won 8 of their last 11 games in all competitions, drawing once in the Welsh Cup against Guilsfield and losing twice both to Bala Town on Boxing Day and Carmarthen Town just last month. The aforementioned loss is the only one so far this year for Morrison’s side, and their 6-2 thrashing of Caernarfon Town just last week will provide a welcome boost in morale for this semi-final clash.

Much like their rivals for the semi-final, Edinburgh City also lead their league in the fourth tier of Scottish football. The Citizens currently hold the top spot with 52 points, 4 more than Peterhead and 6 more than Clyde- albeit they’ve played two games more than the other teams.

James McDonaugh’s side has failed to find consistency ever since their defeat to Clyde at the start of November, a loss that brought an end to a stunning 12-game winning streak that catapulted the club to the top of League Two for many weeks. Since then, Edinburgh City haven’t been able to string together two back-to-back wins, with the only exception being their 4-1 and 2-0 wins against Elgin City and Cowdenbeath just before the Christmas period was to begin.

2019 hasn’t gone to plan so far, as the club has already suffered two defeats, two draws and a mere two wins- including last week’s goalless match against direct promotion opponents Peterhead.

This game is a tough one to call, as the teams play in different divisions and countries, so there is no clear advantage to either one of them on paper. However, Edinburgh City’s form is not that favourable when compared to Connah’s Quays’, as the Welsh Premier League leaders are on fire so far this year. We’re going to back the hosts to win 2-0 here, because of their recent performances and the fact they have the home advantage.