Crusaders vs Glenavon Preview & Betting Odds – NIFL Premiership

We have a Crusaders vs Glenavon preview and betting odds for you ahead of Saturday’s game in the Northern Ireland Premiership.

Crusaders vs Glenavon Match Info

Venue: Seaview, Belfast.

When? 3.00 pm, Saturday, September 23^rd

Crusaders vs. Glenavon Odds

Crusaders are the commanding 3/10 favourites heading into this Sunday’s game. Glenavon are underdogs at 7/1 to cause an upset. The draw is rated a more likely prospect at 4/1 in the match betting.

Handicap Betting

Crusaders: -1 @ 10/11

Glenavon: +1 @ 11/5

Handicap Draw: -1 @ 11/4

Crusaders vs Glenavon – Preview

Crusaders Form

Crusaders are coming into this match with Glenavon hoping to end their three-game league winless run following their 0-3 defeat against Cliftonville last time out. However, they’re still on course for another positive season. Ahead of this round of fixtures Crues occupy fourth spot on the table after earning fourteen points in their opening seven league games.

There is a lot to like about the Crusaders progression as a club. They won their second successive Irish Cup by beating Ballymena United 4-0 in the final back in May. Since then they’ve played European football which further proved the potential of the club. In that European escapade Crusaders were narrowly beaten 5-4 on aggregate by Rosenborg.

Remarkably Crusaders manager Stephen Baxter has been in charge of the club since 2005, an unheard-of feat in modern football. It’s particularly interesting how he approached the summer transfer window with Jimmy Callacher coming and playing 378 minutes. However, Callacher is now expected to be out for the season following a cruciate ligament injury.

Crusaders defender Jimmy Callacher looks set to miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury ❌

More ⬇ | #BBCIrishPrem #BBCFootball

— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) September 17, 2023

If Crusaders can beat Glenavon, and results go their way they may climb to the summit of the table leapfrogging Larne, Linfield and Glentoran.

Glenavon’s Form

Glenavon finished in seventh place during the regular league season in 2022/23. However, following the playoff split, Glenavon would win the relegation half of the table coming twelve points ahead of Carrick. The gulf in class showed in their UEFA Europa Conference League play-off Semi-Final though with a 5-0 loss against Glentoran to end their season.

During this summer’s transfer window, Glenavon largely recruited from the lower leagues in Northern Ireland along with several players being promoted from their youth system.

Club Legend Gary Hamilton who spent twelve years at the club as player-manager started the season at the helm but following their poor start to the season he lost his job and Gary McAlister is now in caretaker charge of the club.

⚽️ Gary Hamilton's record as @Glenavon_FC manager
4⃣,2⃣9⃣0⃣ Days in charge
5⃣4⃣1⃣ Played
2⃣4⃣4⃣ Won
1⃣0⃣3⃣ Drawn
1⃣9⃣4⃣ Lost
1⃣,0⃣5⃣8⃣ Goals For
8⃣7⃣0⃣ Goals Against
1⃣2⃣2⃣ Clean Sheets
2⃣ Irish Cup's
3⃣ Mid-Ulster Cup's
4⃣ Top 3 finishes in the Premiership pic.twitter.com/7roXrydf17

— Marshall Gillespie (@NIStats) September 14, 2023

Glenavon won their first game in the post-Hamilton era last weekend with a 2-1 victory over Carrick to make it seven points from their last five games. Currently, a win here could only keep them in the same position with Coleraine directly ahead of them four points clear.

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Key Players To Watch

Daniel Larmour

So far in all competitions this season CB Daniel Larmour has played the most minutes for Crusaders. The defender has played 1,110 minutes (100%) across 12 games and has even chipped in with two goals in the league.

Rory Brown

Still only 23, Brown had an excellent season for Glenavon last year and was a huge part of their success. This year he has the joint-most minutes for the club with 720 minutes played.

Brown’s first and sole clean sheet of the season came at the beginning of the month when Glenavon beat Ballymena 1-0.

Crusaders vs Glenavon Head-to-Head Results

Per FootyStats, 37 Matches have taken place between Crusaders and Glenavon. Crusaders have won 17 of the games (46%), 10 draws have taken place (27%) and Glenavon have won 10 times (27%).

From their matches, 81%% of them 30/37 have had over 1.5 Goals, and 73% of them (27/37) and 26/37 or 70% of them have had BTTS.

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