CRAWLEY TOWN and Crewe Alexandra square off in the EFL League Two playoff final with a spot in League One the prize. Crawley have looked imperious lately and have the upper hand over Crewe, who have not been at their best in recent weeks.
Crawley Town were rampant in the semi-final as they did the double over MK Dons for an 8-1 aggregate victory. They triumphed 3-0 in the first leg before easing to a 5-1 win in the return fixture.
Scott Lindsey’s men appear to be peaking at the right time and are now unbeaten in their last five matches. They are currently on a three match winning run, scoring 10 goals and conceding just one.
Crewe Alexandra’s progress was not as smooth, as they needed penalties in their semi-final against Doncaster Rovers. Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, they won 2-0 in the return fixture before claiming the upper hand in the shootout.
The difficulty of their progress highlights Crewe Alexandra’s struggles in recent weeks as they have picked up just one win from their last 11 matches. Lee Bell’s men had suffered three defeats in four matches prior to the win at Doncaster Rovers.
How the bookies view it: Crawley backed to prevail
Crawley Town have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 11/10 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Crewe Alexandra is priced at 12/5 while a draw is set at odds of 5/2.
Recent head to head: Crewe dominance
Crewe Alexandra have dominated this fixture, claiming six wins and a draw from the last seven matches against Crawley Town. They did the double over their rivals during the regular season, winning 4-2 at Crawley before earning a 1-0 victory at home back in February.
Players to watch: Danilo Orsi on fire.
Danilo Orsi has been the standout player for Crawley Town this season and has 22 goals so far. The forward netted a hat-trick at MK Dons and is priced at 13/8 by bet365 tainting his scoring run.
Crewe Alexandra can also hold their own going forward, particularly with Elliott Nevitt, who has 16 goals this season. The forward was also on target in one of the regular season meetings and is priced at 13/5 by bet365 to find the net on Sunday.
Probable line-ups
Given their performance in the semi-final at MK Dons, Crawley Town are likely to stick with a similar line-up on Sunday. Crewe Alexandra are also likely to maintain the same team that won at Doncaster Rovers.
Crawley Town: Addai, Wright, Conroy, Maguire, Forster, Williams, Kelly, Kelly, Lolos, Campbell, Orsi
Crewe Alexandra: Stryjek, Billington, Turns, Demetriou, Adebisi, Thomas, Tabiner, Tracey, Rowe, Long, Nevitt
Anything else catch the eye: Open contest favours attackers
Crawley Town and Crewe Alexandra have quality in attack and could be set to serve up goals on Sunday. Crawley saw over 3.5 goals in their previous fixture and a repeat is priced at 9/4 by bet365, who is also offering 17/20 for over 2.5 goals.
Crawley scored in both halves in their two semi-final fixtures and could be set for a repeat at 9/4 with bet365.
This English League Two match between Crawley Town and Crewe Alexandra will be played on May 19, 2024 and kick off at 13:00. Check below for our tipsters best Crawley Town vs Crewe Alexandra prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
