Irish Premier League: Crusaders v Linfield (today, Seaview, 3pm)
LINFIELD have lost just two games out of 22 this season but they find themselves seven points adrift of league leaders Crusaders as 2016 comes to a close.
Stephen Baxter’s champions know how to turn draws into victories while the Blues are capable of producing stunning displays but perhaps lack the knowhow to win ugly when they are off the boil.
Linfield’s ambitions have been hampered by seven draws so far this season and the most recent came against bitter rivals Glentoran on St Stephen’s Day in a game that saw Aaron Burns return to the starting line-up after injury had limited his input to a succession of substitute appearances.
Defeat tomorrow against a Crusaders side that hammered Cliftonville 4-0 at Solitude on Monday would leave the Blues 10 points behind the Seaview outfit and Banbridge-born frontman Burns admits that deficit would be difficult to overhaul.
“It’ll be massive,” he said.
“But it’s not un-doable, we’ll be going in with a positive mindset that we’re going to get all three points. The game will have a big say in the title race but, whatever the outcome, I don’t think it’ll definitely decide it.
“We’ve been ahead around Christmas by a lot of points before and teams have caught us, so we know it’s doable and we’ll be trying to close the gap over the next five or six weeks.”
Crusaders’ only loss this season came when they visited Ballymena United in October. Since then they have gone 11 games unbeaten and won six of those by a single goal.
“Even when they play badly they seem to be able to grind a result out,” said Burns.
“That’s a trait that we’re trying to get into our game – unfortunately when we do have an off game we’re getting punished but they have the experience of being champions and they can grind out a win.
“They are doing what Linfield did in previous years – they have gone out and hand-picked the best players in the league and put them in one team. They have a lot of winners and experience in the team, as do we.
“The momentum is going for them and over the last couple of years their players have matured. They watched Linfield winning titles but now they are the winners and they’re the ones that people are striving towards.”
The St Stephen’s Day draw against Glentoran spelt the end of a five-game winning run for David Healy’s Blues that was decorated by 18 goals and included a 5-0 win over Portadown followed by a 6-1 hammering of Ards in the County Antrim Shield.
“The team is playing very well,” said Burns.
“We had a few boys missing – the likes of Paul Smith, Sean Ward and Mark Stafford and myself – that held us back a bit but it’s not an excuse.
“Glentoran was a wee blip last Saturday, it was my first start for about eight weeks and we’re confident we can get a result at Seaview.
“Obviously there’s the added pressure of them being at the top of the league and being the team we have to catch but from previous experiences, these aren’t the game that win you the league, these are the games that keep you in touching distance.
“The boys are ready to go and we’re all looking forward to it.”
Ards v Ballymena United (2pm)
FOURTH-placed Ballymena can keep the pressure on the top three with a win against an Ards outfit that has taken just four points (all from draws) out of their last 10 games. The arrival of Colin Nixon – who replaced Niall Currie as manager – has steadied the ship somewhat and Ards have taken points from recent trips to Coleraine and Carrick.
Meanwhile, Ballymena have won three out of their last four in the league and saw off Coleraine on St Stephen’s Day thanks to goals from Tony Kane and Cathair Friel.
Prediction: Ballymena
Coleraine v Carrick Rangers (3pm)
COLERAINE will hope to end their horror run – they’ve taken one point out of a possible five – against second-from-bottom Carrick at The Showgrounds.
The visitors’ form has also been poor and they have conceded 49 times already this season. One ray of hope is that their last win was a 2-0 success against the Bannsiders on November 26. Both goals came from Daniel Kelly.
Prediction: Draw
Glentoran v Dungannon Swifts (3pm)
WINS against Ballinamallard, Carrick Rangers and Glenavon have pushed the Swifts up to sixth and they could leapfrog Coleraine this afternoon if they can win at the Oval and Carrick do them a favour at The Showgrounds.
Aaron Harmon’s equaliser allowed the Glens to manage a point when they met Linfield at Windsor Park on St Stephen’s Day, but they go into tomorrow’s clash without a win in their last four league games.
Prediction: Draw
