Crewe v Doncaster: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Crewe host Doncaster in the first leg of their League Two play-off semi-final on Monday and the faltering home side could struggle to hold back the red-hot visitors.

Crewe and Doncaster ended the League Two season in contrasting fashion and in-form Rovers should prove too strong for the struggling home team.

Crewe v Doncaster betting tips and predictions

Doncaster - 11/8

Doncaster's sensational rise from the depths of the League Two table to a fifth-placed finish has brought them plenty of plaudits and they can extend their fantastic finish to the season by winning the first leg of their play-off semi-final at Crewe.

Rovers were 20th in the standings just two months ago, but won 10 successive games before a final-day draw at Gillingham left them fifth in the final table.

They might easily be arriving with an 11-game winning streak as they were leading 2-0 against the Gills when goalkeeper Thimothee Lo-Tutala was sent off early in the second half. The good news for Doncaster is that they won their appeal against that decision, so Lo-Tutala is available for this game.

Donny's unbelievable run was sparked by a 2-0 home success over Crewe in March and they have not looked back since with six clean sheets in their last 11 games and 28 goals scored with only seven conceded.

There has been no fluke about it as they have played top teams Wrexham and Barrow, and manager Grant McCann should not fear anyone in the play-offs.

In contrast, Crewe finished the campaign on a downward trend. Having been as high as third in the table after 34 games, the Alex slid down to sixth place after winning only one of their final nine games and ended up 15 points behind third-placed Wrexham, making the play-offs by only two points.

Goals have dried up for the Railwaymen as they were shut out in five of their last seven games and it is 11 outings since they scored more than once in a match.

Playing at home in the first leg is not a great advantage for them either as Crewe lost their last three home games by the same 3-0 scoreline against bottom-four sides Forest Green and Grimsby as well as Wrexham.

A long injury list has played a key role in their late-season struggles but with little positive news on that front they look vulnerable again when in-form Doncaster come to town.

Over 2.5 goals - 19/20

While Crewe have lost their mojo in front of goal in the last couple of months, there has been so much goalscoring action in Doncaster's matches that it's reasonable to expect at least three goals in their first-leg clash at the Mornflake Stadium.

There have been at least three goals in each of Rovers' last six games and their last four matches have each seen the net bulge four or more times.

Doncaster themselves have scored 19 times in their last six matches, firing in four goals in successive games against Accrington, Barrow and Colchester.

There were five goals when the teams met at this venue in November as a last-minute winner from Connor O'Riordan gave Crewe a 3-2 victory and over 2.5 goals backers collected before half-time in that match.

Crewe's own scoring struggles haven't prevented their recent games from going over this line as their three consecutive 3-0 home defeats all went over without the home team contributing. 

Joe Ironside anytime goalscorer - 11/5

Goals from Hakeeb Adelakun and Joe Ironside have been a driving force behind Doncaster's surge up the standings but Ironside, who operates at the tip of their attack, has been the main man all season.

The former Cambridge striker has bagged 22 goals this term and is on an amazing scoring streak having netted in his last five appearances, scoring six times in all over the last four weeks.

Adelakun operates in a deeper role but has still supplied six goals in his last 11 games and may appeal at a bigger price but Ironside looks the stronger option.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.