Crusaders FC vs Linfield FC Prediction: Linfield is almost at the finish line

Linfield maintains its position at the league's top as they head into their round 31 game in the Northern Ireland Premiership. Linfield’s 12-game unbeaten run finally came to an end at the hands of Coleraine in their last league game. The defeat didn’t do much damage to Linfield’s title hopes as Linfield is almost at the finish line, and all the signs point to a Championship glory for Linfield this season. Crusaders have recently resurged in form with three consecutive league victories in their last three league games. We believe Linfield will have a tough time here, and our prediction leans towards both teams finding the net. Let’s analyze both teams’ forms, their key stats, and my expert opinion.

Crusaders FC (4th)

Form in the League: WWWLW

Crusaders have struggled both home and away this season, but they’ve been consistently in the top 4 places in the Northern Ireland Premiership. Their last three victories against Larne, Ballymena United, and Glenavon, respectively, gave them the desired push and kept their championship-round hopes alive. Their last league game against Glenavon ended in a narrow 0-1 victory, and they’ll be hoping for more of the same as they take on Linfield on Friday. 

Crusaders are currently 4th placed in the league with 14 wins, 4 draws, and 12 losses from the 30 league games played. Kieran Offord is the team's top scorer with 10 goals this season for the Crusaders. 

Linfield FC (1st)

Form in the League: LWWDW

Linfield’s 12-game unbeaten run finally came to an end at the hands of Coleraine in their most recent league game. Before that defeat, Linfield had secured two consecutive league victories against Larne and Loughgall, respectively. Linfield played their lives out in that defeat to Coleraine, but they were rather unlucky, and the odds were stacked hard against them. Linfield will be hoping to finish strong in the Northern Ireland Premiership, and with 3 games remaining in the regular season, Linfield may be on their way to Championship glory this season. 

Linfield is currently in the top flight in the Northern Ireland Premier League table with 21 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses from 30 games played, 54 goals scored, and 23 goals conceded. Joel Cooper is the team's top scorer with 15 goals.

Head-To-Head Statistics

Linfield currently leads in their head-to-head stats with 6 wins, while Crusaders has 2 wins with 2 draws. 

Expert Betting Tips

Linfield are the favorites for the win, and they’ll go for the win with everything they’ve got. Linfield will most likely emerge as Champions of the NIFL this season as they are 16 points away from their closest rivals, Glentoran. Crusaders must stay within the top 6 in the league table to make it to the championship round. Shockingly, both teams have met twice this season, and Linfield emerged victorious in two of those encounters. They are well positioned to make it a third on Friday. Linfield will try not to suffer a second consecutive league loss, and we believe they’ll not suffer a defeat here. A win or draw for Linfield is our first choice. Crusaders are also in good shape, and they’ll most likely find the net on Friday just as they have in their last two meetings against Linfield. Please see some of their head-to-head stats below.

• Linfield has scored first in 6 of their last 7 meetings.
• Linfield has won the first half in 6 of their last 7 meetings.
• More than 2.5 goals in 4 of their last 5 meetings
• Both teams have found the net in 4 of their last 5 meetings

Our first prediction is a total of over 2.5 goals for 1.83 odds at 1xBet.

Our second prediction is a Linfield win or draw and a total of over 2.5 goals for 2.14 odds at Betway.

Our third prediction is for both teams to find the net for 1.85 odds at Bet365.