Crewe Alexandra vs Notts County Prediction: Stalemate could be on the horizon

Crewe Alexandra welcome Notts County to Gresty Road in League 2 on Saturday (15:00, Sky Sports+), with both sides looking to keep their unbeaten runs going. The hosts haven't lost in their last six matches in the fourth tier, while Notts County are unbeaten in their previous five fixtures.

Two points separate the two teams heading into this one, with Crewe boasting a game in hand on the Magpies. Read on for my Crewe Alexandra vs Notts County prediction, featuring match odds and team news.

Crewe Alexandra vs Notts County Odds

Crewe are 7/4 to win this encounter, which gives them a theoretical chance of 36.4%. Notts County are priced at 8/5 to take the three points, giving them an implied probability of 38.5%. If you think there will be nothing to separate the two teams come the end of play on Saturday, the draw can be backed at 23/10 (30.3%).

Both teams to score is on offer at 4/6 and over 2.5 goals is available at 10/11.

Veteran striker David McGoldrick has scored six times in League 2 this season, and he is the favourite to score anytime this weekend at 15/8.

Crewe's Shilow Tracey has four for himself and he is 12/5 to find the back of the net at any stage during this contest.

Football Odds

Team News

Crewe have no fresh injury concerns heading into the weekend, which will provide a massive boost to manager Lee Bell.

He will have been pleased with his team's performance at high-flying Walsall, where they earned a point, but he will be disappointed that they suffered a late equaliser in the West Midlands.

Bell is unlikely to make too many changes as a result. Tracey should continue up front alongside Omar Bogle, who put Crewe into the lead at Walsall. Ryan Cooney will continue at right wing-back, having had a huge impact offensively for the home side, scoring two goals and providing four assists in 13 matches.

Veteran defender Mickey Demetriou looks set to continue in the heart of the back three, offering his leadership and tenacity that has served his club well over the years.

For the visitors, McGoldrick may be the favourite to score in this match but he is a doubt to feature having been absent for his side's last two matches in all competitions, so he faces a race against time to be fit in time for Saturday.

This is not idea for Magpies' boss Stuart Maynard, who has lost leading marksman Alassana Jatta due to his first-ever call-up to the Gambian national team. This could force Maynard to play Jevani Brown up front at Crewe, which means the visitors could be heading here without two of their most influential players.

Scott Robertson is also in the treatment room for the visitors, so Sam Austin and Matt Palmer should continue in the engine room for this one. Creative midfielder Dan Crowley will be pushing for a recall in light of the potential loss of forwards Jatta and McGoldrick,

The Arsenal academy graduate has three goals and three assists in 12 appearances in League 2 this season, and the Magpies could profit from his influence due to the lack of firepower up top.

Draw @ 23/10

Notts County would take a point right now if you offered it to them - who wouldn't when you're potentially missing two of your most important players? I still think that Maynard has more than enough quality to rely upon to come away from this match with a result, but it's not going to be easy.

Crewe have lost just once at home in the league this season, and that was their very first of the campaign in what was a heavy 5-0 hammering at the hands of newly promoted Chesterfield.

They have won four and drawn two of their other clashes at Gresty Road since, so they will be feeling confident ahead of this crunch clash at the top, and boosted by the Magpies' absences.

However, Notts County have not lost on their travels once this campaign, with their two defeats so far coming at Meadow Lane. They seem to perform much better when they are on the road, which makes me believe they can get a result here even though the odds are stacked against them.

Their last three away games have all ended in draws and they came against Chesterfield, Barrow and Doncaster Rovers, all of whom are in the top half of the table and are considered to be in the promotion picture this year. Barrow are 11th and there are only five points between them and Notts County in fifth.

Without Jatta and potentially McGoldrick, I think a draw is the best the Magpies can hope for on Saturday, but they are on a run of drawing away from home so I've been tempted to back this run to continue.

Both teams to score @ 4/6

You may think this to be a bold selection given the fact that there have only been goals at both ends in two of Crewe's seven home matches in League 2 this year, but it is because of the visitors that I have confidence that we will see this market land on Saturday.

A whopping six of Notts County's eight matches away from home in the fourth tier have seen both teams score. It has been a winning selection in their last three matches on the road.

I also like this market because both teams have quality in attack, albeit Notts County's ranks have taken a hit for this one. Nonetheless, they have scored 23 goals so far while Crewe have 17 themselves.

With this being the kind of game where either side cannot afford to drop points, I'm expecting some clinical attacking from the two sets of players, and we could be in for a few goals at Gresty Road as a result.

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