Carrick Rangers host Crusaders FC in the Northern Ireland Premiership. Both sides have had a stop-start season so far, sitting in the bottom half of the table.
Recent meetings between these two have rarely been short of goals, and that's worth bearing in mind heading into this one. Their form lines this season add another layer worth working through before settling on anything.
Analysis updated .
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Two sides short on consistency
Carrick Rangers have really struggled for results lately. Of their last eight league matches they've won just once, drawn one and lost the other six, including a 2-5 home defeat to Larne and a 0-4 loss away at Bangor.
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Potential returns include your stake. Odds may change.
Carrick Rangers: 20 completed matches; Crusaders FC: 20 completed matches.
Carrick Rangers
- Win
- 50% 10 / 20
- Draw
- 10% 2 / 20
- Loss
- 40% 8 / 20
- Scored
- 44
- Conceded
- 32
- Difference
- +12
Crusaders FC
- Win
- 60% 12 / 20
- Draw
- 10% 2 / 20
- Loss
- 30% 6 / 20
- Scored
- 33
- Conceded
- 24
- Difference
- +9
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiership | Glentoran | Carrick Rangers | 26.09.2026 | 2-0 |
| Premiership | Carrick Rangers | Larne | 19.09.2026 | 2-5 |
| Premiership | Ballymena United | Carrick Rangers | 15.09.2026 | 1-1 |
| Premiership | Carrick Rangers | Cliftonville FC | 12.09.2026 | 1-3 |
| Premiership | Linfield | Carrick Rangers | 05.09.2026 | 1-0 |
| Premiership | Bangor | Carrick Rangers | 29.08.2026 | 0-4 |
| Premiership | Carrick Rangers | Coleraine FC | 22.08.2026 | 0-2 |
| Premiership | Limavady United | Carrick Rangers | 15.08.2026 | 1-2 |
| Premiership | Carrick Rangers | Portadown | 08.08.2026 | 1-0 |
| Friendlies Clubs | Ballyclare Comrades | Carrick Rangers | 01.08.2026 | 1-8 |
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiership | Crusaders FC | Bangor | 26.09.2026 | 2-1 |
| Premiership | Linfield | Crusaders FC | 19.09.2026 | 1-0 |
| Premiership | Crusaders FC | Dungannon Swifts | 15.09.2026 | 3-0 |
| Premiership | Crusaders FC | Limavady United | 12.09.2026 | 1-2 |
| Premiership | Coleraine FC | Crusaders FC | 05.09.2026 | 4-1 |
| Premiership | Glentoran | Crusaders FC | 29.08.2026 | 1-2 |
| Premiership | Crusaders FC | Portadown | 22.08.2026 | 3-2 |
| Premiership | Crusaders FC | Ballymena United | 15.08.2026 | 2-1 |
| Premiership | Cliftonville FC | Crusaders FC | 07.08.2026 | 2-1 |
| Friendlies Clubs | Crusaders FC | Dundela | 01.08.2026 | 2-0 |
Crusaders haven't been much more convincing, but their form has swung between good and poor rather than settling into a slump. Across their last eight league games they've won four and lost four, beating Ballymena, Portadown and Glentoran while losing to Linfield, Coleraine, Limavady and Cliftonville.
Neither side has strung together a settled run, so recent form alone doesn't point clearly one way.
Comparative Team Statistics: Carrick Rangers vs Crusaders FC
History favours Crusaders, but the last meeting didn't
These two have faced each other regularly over the years, and Crusaders have taken the upper hand more often than not across that history, including a 9-0 win back in 2023.
| League | Home | Away | Date | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiership | Carrick Rangers | Crusaders FC | 28.03.2026 | 6-1 |
| Premiership | Crusaders FC | Carrick Rangers | 30.12.2025 | 2-2 |
| Premiership | Carrick Rangers | Crusaders FC | 08.11.2025 | 1-2 |
| Premiership | Crusaders FC | Carrick Rangers | 09.08.2025 | 3-4 |
| Premiership | Carrick Rangers | Crusaders FC | 30.12.2024 | 0-0 |
| Premiership | Carrick Rangers | Crusaders FC | 16.11.2024 | 3-0 |
| Premiership | Crusaders FC | Carrick Rangers | 31.08.2024 | 2-1 |
| Premiership | Crusaders FC | Carrick Rangers | 01.05.2024 | 3-1 |
| Premiership | Crusaders FC | Carrick Rangers | 30.12.2023 | 2-0 |
| Premiership | Carrick Rangers | Crusaders FC | 08.12.2023 | 0-1 |
That picture doesn't necessarily carry into this one, though. The most recent meeting between them, back in March, went the other way entirely, with Carrick Rangers winning 6-1 at home.
Not much between them in the table
There isn't a lot separating these two right now. Crusaders sit sixth with 12 points from eight games, while Carrick Rangers are two places below in eighth on 10 points from the same number of matches.
| № | Team | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | GF/GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Larne | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12/3 | 16 |
| 4 | Crusaders FC | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 15/14 | 15 |
| 5 | Glentoran | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 13/10 | 13 |
| 7 | Cliftonville FC | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 12/11 | 12 |
| 8 | Carrick Rangers | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 11/15 | 10 |
| 9 | Ballymena United | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 12/11 | 9 |
It's a tight enough gap that neither side's league position tells a decisive story.
One absence flagged for the hosts
The only team news of note concerns Carrick Rangers, where C. Stewart is out after an operation and will miss this fixture. There's nothing similar flagged for Crusaders.
Goals have followed both sides recently
Both teams have been involved in fairly open matches over the past few weeks. Carrick have shipped goals freely, including several defeats by two or more goals, while Crusaders have both scored and conceded regularly too, with results like 3-0, 2-1 and 1-4 showing up in their recent run.
None of that guarantees a repeat here, but it does suggest defensive solidity from either side shouldn't be assumed.
Match odds and squad lists
Squad and player details
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P. Heatley | Northern Ireland | 39 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| A. Mitchell | Northern Ireland | 34 | Midfielder | 180 cm | n/a |
| K. Cherry | Northern Ireland | 33 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| E. McGuckin | Northern Ireland | 35 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| C. Allen | Northern Ireland | 38 | Attacker | 180 cm | n/a |
| N. Maciulaitis | Lithuania | 27 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| R. Kalla | Northern Ireland | 23 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| D. Purkis | Northern Ireland | 31 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| L. Mackinnon | Northern Ireland | 23 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| J. Andrews | Northern Ireland | 22 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| W. Arnold | Australia | 22 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| S. Graham | Northern Ireland | 22 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| J. Withers | Northern Ireland | 21 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| P. O'Prey | Northern Ireland | 22 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| C. Mills | Northern Ireland | 22 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| J. Sobecki | Poland | 21 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| O. Robinson | Northern Ireland | 21 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| J. Given | Northern Ireland | 20 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| J. Kelly | Northern Ireland | 20 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| G. Trimble | Northern Ireland | 20 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| Name | Country | Age | Position | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. Kennedy | Northern Ireland | 29 | Midfielder | 178 cm | 70 kg |
| J. Winchester | Northern Ireland | 33 | Midfielder | 178 cm | 69 kg |
| J. Williamson | Northern Ireland | 31 | Goalkeeper | n/a | n/a |
| S. Nixon | Northern Ireland | 29 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| J. Teelan | Northern Ireland | 23 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| K. Offord | Scotland | 22 | Attacker | 171 cm | n/a |
| J. James | Northern Ireland | 20 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| O. McKenna | Northern Ireland | 21 | Midfielder | 186 cm | n/a |
| K. Bond | Northern Ireland | 19 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| R. Donnelly | Northern Ireland | 19 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| C. McEnlea | Northern Ireland | 19 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| B. Nsiah | Northern Ireland | 20 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| E. Conlon | Northern Ireland | 20 | Defender | 176 cm | n/a |
| A. Karrabecaj | Northern Ireland | 19 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| J. Ness | Northern Ireland | 20 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| M. Beattie | Northern Ireland | 18 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
| M. McWilliams | Northern Ireland | 21 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| W. Francey | Northern Ireland | 21 | Defender | n/a | n/a |
| R. Mullan | Northern Ireland | 19 | Attacker | n/a | n/a |
| B. Harrison | Northern Ireland | 19 | Midfielder | n/a | n/a |
Given how close these two are in the table and how inconsistent both have been recently, this looks like a genuinely open contest. Neither side's form gives a strong lean either way.
With no market reference to assess here, we're passing on this one rather than guessing at a price we can't see.
Match result odds
Who will win?
