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Premiership · Northern Ireland
Ballymena United vs Crusaders FC prediction and preview
17 Oct 2026, 14:00 UTC
The PunterPick prediction
Published before kick-off and never changed afterwards. See the methodology for how picks are chosen.
Match preview
Ballymena United host Crusaders FC in the Premiership (Northern Ireland) on 17 Oct 2026, 14:00 UTC. The prediction PunterPick published for this fixture is Over 2.5 Goals — more than 2.5 goals in the match. It was published at odds of 1.57, which the bookmaker market rated at about 61% once the bookmaker margin is removed.
Final score: Ballymena United 2–1 Crusaders FC.
Going into the match, Ballymena United had won 3, drawn 3 and lost 4 of their last 10 matches, scoring 15 and conceding 14. Crusaders FC had won 5, drawn 0 and lost 5 of their last 10, with 14 scored and 19 conceded.
Both teams scored in 6 of Ballymena United's last 10 and 6 of Crusaders FC's last 10; 5 and 9 of those matches respectively went over 2.5 goals. At home Ballymena United averaged 1.57 goals scored and 1.00 conceded across 7 matches; away from home Crusaders FC averaged 1.22 scored and 1.89 conceded across 9.
Our team-strength model expects about 1.78 goals from Ballymena United and 1.02 from Crusaders FC. From that it rates a home win at 54%, a draw at 26% and an away win at 20%, against 56%, 24% and 21% implied by the 1X2 prices. For the published pick itself the model gives 53%.
Team comparison
Share of each factor between Ballymena United (green) and Crusaders FC (grey), from our data provider's pre-match comparison.
Form before the match
| Team | Last 5 | Scored | Conceded | BTTS | O2.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballymena United | LWWDD | 1.50 | 1.40 | 60% | 50% |
| Crusaders FC | LLWLW | 1.40 | 1.90 | 60% | 90% |
Averages over each side's last 10 matches in our results archive before this fixture.
Recent meetings
- 15 Aug 2026 · Crusaders FC 2–1 Ballymena United
- 25 Apr 2026 · Crusaders FC 3–2 Ballymena United
Other markets we priced
| Market | Our probability | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| BTTS 1st Half - No | 77% | 1.22 |
| 1st Half Over 0.5 Goals | 72% | 1.28 |
| Over 2.5 Goals | 61% | 1.57 |
| BTTS Yes | 59% | 1.62 |
| Under 3.5 Goals | 59% | 1.57 |
| 1st Half Under 1.5 Goals | 59% | 1.57 |
| Under 10.5 Corners | 58% | 1.61 |
| Ballymena United Win | 57% | 1.60 |
Probabilities are derived from bookmaker prices with the margin removed. They are estimates, not guarantees.
Other Premiership matches that day
- Cliftonville FC vs Portadown · 17 Oct 2026, 17:00 UTC · Premiership
Published pick: Under 3.5 Goals @ 1.50 · FT 1–2 - Bangor vs Dungannon Swifts · 17 Oct 2026, 14:00 UTC · Premiership
Published pick: Under 3.5 Goals @ 1.40 · FT 0–0 - Carrick Rangers vs Linfield · 17 Oct 2026, 14:00 UTC · Premiership
Published pick: Under 3.5 Goals @ 1.40 · FT 2–2 - Glentoran vs Limavady United · 17 Oct 2026, 14:00 UTC · Premiership
Published pick: Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.50 · FT 1–0