For the 7th round of the Northern Ireland Premiership, we have a battle of two sides currently residing at the bottom of the table with extremely disappointing results. The locals of Stangmore Park, Dungannon Swifts will try to at least get on the same footing with the visiting Crusaders, leaving Glenavon last assuming that one way or the other, the Carrick Rangers will prevail in the match of the same round.
Bad vs Worse
That’s the only fitting title for the two sides. The hosts have suffered defeats in all five matches that they played, managing to score only twice, while they picked up the ball from the back of their own nets 13 times. On the other hand, the visitors did manage to win one of the four games that they played, presenting a bit of a better attacking power with 7 in their favor, and a slightly better defense with 9 against.
If the Crusaders manage to win then they will overtake Cliftonville and join a 3-team club on 6 points tied for 6th. However, one of these three is Linfield and they have only played 2 matches so far, so, in fairness, they cannot be considered as part of this group. Nevertheless, they do have a strong motive to go all out for the victory. Counting in the postponed away match against Larne, they do have a chance to get a lot higher on the board, maybe even up to 4th place. Assumingly, when the time comes to play that due match, they might have built up some momentum to beat their opponents.
A chance for redemption for the hosts
This Saturday, the hosts will have a chance for redemption on an away match against the other side with 0 points, Glenavon. They really cannot afford a sixth loss. However, so do their hosts. In any case, if they do manage to win, then they will have a higher morale on the confrontation with the Crusaders and a chance to go to the 6-point group themselves. That’s assuming that 3rd Coleraine will win over the Crusaders.
It’s a match filled with intriguing circumstances and plenty of motive for both, not to mention, quite lucrative odds. For the time being, we will just keep an eye on all developments and take everything seriously into account, before making our final recommendation next week when we bring the update that those who open an account at the best betting platform can use for their next wager.
Update
The developments were exactly as expected. The Crusaders lost to Coleraine by a humiliating 0-4 at home, while the Swifts defeated Glenavon by 0-2 away. Now, both teams are tied on 10th with 3 points each and only one win to be proud of. Whoever wins will only manage to climb up to -may be- the 8th spot on an equal footing with Bangor and Portadown.
With the backs to the wall
Dungannon have no other option. They need to win this any way they can. However, to do so requires that they send the ball to the bottom of the net of their opponents, while keeping their attackers away. Considering that both sides have conceded 13, that will be kind of hard to do. On the other hand, the Crusaders can breathe a little more since they owe a match. However, it is against 3rd Larne, so, the thread is pretty thin at this point.
The home field advantage definitely adds to the chances of the hosts. Hence, the @2.25 that makes for the offer on their victory is quite logical. The @3.01 for the Crusaders sounds a bit too much. Quite intriguing is the price of @3.67 for a draw which is a quite possible result. Nevertheless, we think that the bear is most dangerous when it’s threatened, so we will suggest to those that will open an account at the best betting platform, to place their bets on the win of the home side.