Barnet
- Barnet have won 1, drawn 2 and lost 2 of their last 5 league matches, suffering a 1-3 home defeat to Salford City and drawing 0-0 away at Newport County in their last outing.
- The Bees sit 13th with 29 points from 22 fixtures after a solid mid-table campaign to date, while Town languish in 20th after picking up just 19 points from 22.
- Barnet boss Dean Brennan’s ability to adapt and change formations as required, combined with his emphasis on structure and defending well, has given the club a platform from which to build as they enjoy their first season back in League Two.
Crawley Town
- Crawley Town have won none of their last 5 matches (D2, L3), losing all of their last 3 away games.
- Crawley Town boss Scott Lindsey has instilled a different philosophy onto his new team, one that involves high pressing, transitioning quickly and attacking aggressively.
- The Red Devils will look to force errors and punish them quickly, though they need to find their goal-scoring form after a run of 1 win, 2 draws and 8 defeats from their 11 games away from home.
Head-to-Head
Both clubs will have a point to prove as they face off for the first time since Barnet’s return to the EFL and following a busy summer at Crawley that has seen a managerial change.
Key Players
- Top scorer Mark Shelton has scored five times in 19 League Two appearances and provides a consistent threat from midfield, but the Bees are a team and everyone knows their role.
- Harry McKirdy leads the line for the visitors with four goals in 17 games, but veteran Ryan Loft has chipped in with two of Crawley’s last six goals and could be the one to make the difference if they need a goal at the end.
Betting Insights
- The Both Teams To Score market is just under even odds at 1.7, which suggests that there will be plenty of opportunity for the Bees and the Red Devils to get at each other in what could be an open game.
- Barnet have won three, drawn three and lost five of their 11 home games in League Two, scoring 1.45 and conceding 1.36 per-game, but this looks a lot closer than the odds suggest.
- Crawley’s recent struggles, the fact that they have scored just 0.91 goals per-game on the road and have failed to get the better of a similar standard of opponent recently, points to the possibility that Barnet can nick this one.
Prediction
The Bees are the strong favorites here and they should have enough about them to take all three points against the out-of-sorts visitors.
