Glentoran FC vs Linfield FC Prediction: Boxing Day special at the Oval

Glentoran and Linfield will clash at The Oval on Boxing Day for their 23rd round of matches in the NIFL. Linfield tops the NIFL league table with 11 points clear of their closest rivals, Portadown, and four consecutive league victories. Linfield remains the favorite for the win, but we cannot entirely rule out Glentoran as they are also a very offensive team in their style and they’re known to cause troubles for Linfield over the years. I strongly believe both teams will find the net here. Let us analyze both teams’ forms, key stats, and my expert opinion on the upcoming game.  

Form in the League: WWDWL

Glentoran continues striving for a top-three position in the league this season and is currently third place in the league table. They are unbeaten in their last four league games with two consecutive league wins in their last two league games. They have great momentum heading into their home turf as they emerged victorious against Linfield the last time they played a home league game. We know Glentorans style of play which is very offensive and I believe they’ll go all out for goals against Linfield. 

They are currently in third place on the league table, with overall league statistics of 10 wins, 4 draws, and 7 losses from the 21 league games played. David Fisher is Glentoran's man in front of goal, with 4 goals to his name this season. 

Form in the League: WWWWL

Linfield has now won four consecutive league games after their narrow 1-0 win over Glenavon in their last game. It’s also important to note that Linfield has not lost a home game in their last five league matches and has a good away record. Key players like Joel Hooper continue to play a key role in the team's offensive style of play. 

Linfield is currently in the top flight in the Northern Ireland Premier League table with 15 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses from 21 games played, 40 goals scored, and 16 goals conceded. Joel Cooper is the team's top scorer with 11 goals.

A closer look at their last 20 meetings showed 8 wins for Glentoran, 7 wins for Linfield, and 5 draws. 

I am expecting a thrilling encounter with goals in this game. Both teams are quite good offensively and they are both in excellent form. Maybe this is payback time for Linfield as they met late last month at the Oval and Glentoran stole the show by a narrow 1-0 victory. Linfield will not suffer a third consecutive defeat to Glentoran this season and with their current form, we should see a win or a draw for Linfield. 

Furthermore, we can also take a good look at the corner options in their last three meetings which have exceeded 8, and with the offensive nature of both team,s we should see a high number of corners here. A total of over 8 corners is our second option. Please see some of their head-to-head streaks below;