Rathfriland vs Ards Prediction & Betting Tips

Form check

Ards have the healthier overall numbers this season, with nine wins from twenty games and a goal difference just in credit at 26 for and 23 against. Their last five results have been mixed though: a draw, a win over Rathfriland, then three defeats in a row.

Rathfriland: 20 completed matches; Ards: 20 completed matches.

Rathfriland

20 matches

Win

35% 7 / 20

Draw

0% 0 / 20

Loss

65% 13 / 20

Scored

26

Conceded

36

Difference

-10

Ards

20 matches

Win

40% 8 / 20

Draw

15% 3 / 20

Loss

45% 9 / 20

Scored

24

Conceded

24

Difference

0

Rathfriland's record reads the other way, eight wins and twelve losses from twenty games, with 36 goals conceded outweighing the 31 they've scored. They started with a win over Queen's University but have lost four straight since, including that home defeat to Ards.

Neither side is arriving with any real momentum.

Comparative Team Statistics: Rathfriland vs Ards

Head-to-head

There's only one meeting between these two on record, and it's a recent one. Ards won 1-0 at their own ground back in September, though that was a league fixture rather than this cup tie.

With Rathfriland now the home side, that result doesn't tell us a great deal about how this one plays out, but it does show Ards can get a result against them.

What to expect

Goals have flowed at both ends this season without either side looking especially secure at the back. Rathfriland have shipped nearly two goals a game on average, while Ards have tightened up somewhat since the summer even if their recent form has dipped.

With both teams capable of scoring and both prone to switching off, this could easily be an open, back-and-forth game rather than a cagey one.