Crusaders vs Ballymena Prediction & Betting Tips (13 October)

Crusaders have been cooking with gas on their own patch of late, delivering six victories as part of a some matches unbeaten run, so confidence should be high coming into this contest. The same cannot be said for Ballymena, however, as the strugglers are winless in 11 away games at this elite level of the NIFL Premiership, suffering a worrying nine defeats along the way.

Although they have been involved in more than their fair share of exciting games recently, it is still worth noting that 12 of the previous 13 NIFL Premiership fixtures involving Crusaders have served up under 3.5 goals. This has also been the case in 11 of the last 12 matches involving Ballymena at this level, so any deviation from this script would come as a surprise.

At least one of the two keepers has emerged with a clean sheet from 12 of the previous 17 Crusaders home matches at this level, so thrilling encounters at this venue have been few and far between. What’s more, 13 of the most recent 17 Crusaders away games at the top table of the NIFL Premiership have followed suit, including in a success at this ground last term.