Ballymena United vs Crusaders FC Prediction & Betting Tips

Form: Crusaders busier, Ballymena more mixed

Crusaders' recent sample of 20 matches shows 12 wins, two draws and six defeats, with 35 goals scored against 23 conceded. That run includes some pre-season friendlies alongside league games, so it's a broad picture rather than a pure league form line, but the direction is positive more often than not.

Ballymena United: 20 completed matches; Crusaders FC: 20 completed matches.

Ballymena United

20 matches

Win

40% 8 / 20

Draw

30% 6 / 20

Loss

30% 6 / 20

Scored

42

Conceded

26

Difference

+16

Crusaders FC

20 matches

Win

60% 12 / 20

Draw

10% 2 / 20

Loss

30% 6 / 20

Scored

33

Conceded

24

Difference

+9

Ballymena's equivalent sample is more even: seven wins, seven draws and six losses across 20 matches, with 40 scored and 26 conceded. That's a higher goals-for tally than Crusaders, but also more draws, suggesting games that are competitive without Ballymena consistently closing them out.

Crusaders have turned good form into more wins, while Ballymena's matches tend to be closer and more open.

Comparative Team Statistics: Ballymena United vs Crusaders FC

Head-to-head: recent meetings favour Crusaders

These two have met often over the past few seasons, and the last six encounters have gone Crusaders' way more than Ballymena's. Crusaders won 2-1 in August 2026 and 3-2 in April 2026, both times as the away side at Ballymena. Ballymena's most recent win in this fixture came back in February 2026, a 2-0 home victory, with a 2-2 draw at Ballymena in between.

Stretch the record back further and it's still mostly Crusaders' territory, though a handful of draws and Ballymena wins show they're capable of springing a result on their own patch.

Recent head-to-head form points towards Crusaders, but Ballymena have shown they can win this specific fixture at home.

League table: Crusaders sit above Ballymena

Crusaders are sixth with 12 points from eight games, built on four wins and four defeats, with 13 goals scored and 13 conceded. Ballymena are ninth with six points from seven games, having won just once against three draws and three losses, and their goal difference is slightly negative too.

Crusaders have played one more match, but the points-per-game gap is real: they're picking up wins more often than Ballymena at this early stage of the season.

What to expect on the day

Both teams have conceded regularly this season, and neither has looked especially tight defensively in their recent matches. Combine that with a head-to-head record that's produced goals in most recent meetings, and this has the look of a game where both sides could find the net.

Ballymena's home form in this exact fixture has been better than their overall away-of-form suggests, given their February win over Crusaders. That's a small mark in their favour even amid Crusaders' broader consistency.