Catalans Dragons vs Bradford Bulls Prediction: Staines to leave his mark

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get £30 in Sports Free Bets & £20 in Bet Builder Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. T&Cs Apply.

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get £30 in Sports Free Bets & £20 in Bet Builder Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. T&Cs Apply.

Catalans Dragons vs Bradford Bulls Odds

Team news

Dragons boss John Cartwright names an unchanged squad for the visit of the Bulls, which means winger Matty Russell and skipper Ben Garcia remain on the sidelines.

Leo Darrelatour and Alexis Lis keep their places in the squad, while Tommy Makinson is expected to keep his place on the wing in Russell's absence after scoring two tries in the first 12 minutes against the Tigers last week.

Bradford boss Kurt Haggerty has named just a 20-man squad for the trip to Perpignan.

The good news sees imposing prop Jack Ormondroyd back in contention after injury. Two men drop out, the unfortunate Ed Chamberlain suffering a season-ending ankle injury in the home defeat by Leigh, and Zac Fulton also injured in the Leopards loss.

Star half-back Jayden Nikorima was included in the squad last week but as predicted he did not feature after injury. This game would feel like the most likely one to see him return.

Rugby League Odds

Handicap 3-way Catalans Dragons -14 @ 6/5

Catalans were good value for their home win over Castleford last week and they should win this too, against another potentially stubborn West Yorkshire opponent.

The manner of that Cas win may be a concern for the coaching team however, with the Dragons scorching into a 34-12 lead only to concede the last 16 points of the game to win by just a single score.

An 80-minute performance can see the home side cover the handicap here against a Bulls side who have come up dry on every single away trip this year.

However Bradford can contest this game if Nikorima is fit to start. He is the livewire in the engine room, and there is reliable strike out wide now Ethan Ryan, Guy Armitage and Waqa Blake are back in the team. Those three created but bombed a fair few chances in the home defeat by Leigh last weekend that could have given the scoreboard a much different look.

So I am absolutely not writing Bradford off here. But given their awful away form and the fact that the Stade Gilbert Brutus remains such a tough place to get anything from, especially in the summer Perpignan heat, I am going for a home win here by a couple of scores or more.

The last Bradford win at the Brutus if you are interested was in March 2009.