Northern Ireland - NIFL PremiershipData current as of 23 July 2026

Cliftonville vs Ballymena United: match statistics

165%(1.96)
X20%(3.60)
215%(3.40)

Cliftonville displays significantly better home form with a 50% win rate and a positive goal difference (+5) at their stadium. The hosts have won 3 of their last 5 matches, scoring 6 goals, while Ballymena United is in an away crisis with as many as 69% defeats on the road and a negative goal difference of -10. The visitors have not won any of their last 8 away matches, confirming their poor form away from home. Cliftonville statistically dominates in possession (53% vs 44%), registers more shots on target (4.81 vs 2.69), and has a higher xG (1.56 vs 1.03). Ballymena fails to score in 38% of their away matches, which, given the hosts' solid defense (31% clean sheets), further supports a confident victory for Cliftonville. All key indicators clearly favor the hosts in this clash.

Cliftonville vs Ballymena United: form, goals and key statistics

Key match information

Cliftonville play Ballymena United in NIFL Premiership (Northern Ireland). The match date is 21 March 2026 at 21:00. Final score: 2:2.

Current form

Cliftonville: 2-0-3, 1.20 points/match. Ballymena United: 1-2-2, 1.00 points/match.

Goal statistics

Cliftonville scores 1.44 and concedes 1.56 goals per match. Ballymena United scores 1.21 and concedes 1.53. League average: 2.94 goals.

BTTS / Over / Under

BTTS: Cliftonville 59%, Ballymena United 55%. Over 2.5: Cliftonville 59%, Ballymena United 47%. League level: BTTS 52%, Over 2.5 56%.

xG, shots and style

Cliftonville has higher xG: 1.41 vs 1.17. Cliftonville: 11.8 shots per match, Ballymena United: 9.2.

Match halves

Cliftonville: half-time lead 28%, second-half goals 0.79. Ballymena United: half-time lead 18%, second-half goals 0.76.

Goals by minute

Cliftonville: 76-90+ (14 goals). Ballymena United: 61-75 (13 goals). This is historical distribution, not a predicted goal minute.

League context

NIFL Premiership: 2.94 goals per match, BTTS 52%, Over 2.5 56%.

Head-to-head

2 H2H matches: 1-1-0. Average goals 4.50, BTTS 100%.

Match description

Cliftonville displays significantly better home form with a 50% win rate and a positive goal difference (+5) at their stadium. The hosts have won 3 of their last 5 matches, scoring 6 goals, while Ballymena United is in an away crisis with as many as 69% defeats on the road and a negative goal difference of -10. The visitors have not won any of their last 8 away matches, confirming their poor form away from home. Cliftonville statistically dominates in possession (53% vs 44%), registers more shots on target (4.81 vs 2.69), and has a higher xG (1.56 vs 1.03). Ballymena fails to score in 38% of their away matches, which, given the hosts' solid defense (31% clean sheets), further supports a confident victory for Cliftonville. All key indicators clearly favor the hosts in this clash.

Half-by-half

2 : 0
1st half
0 : 2
2nd half

Match statistics

42Possession (%)58
CliftonvilleBallymena United
12Shots11
CliftonvilleBallymena United
5Shots on target5
CliftonvilleBallymena United
1.45xG1.68
CliftonvilleBallymena United
2Corners8
CliftonvilleBallymena United
47Dangerous attacks87
CliftonvilleBallymena United
7Fouls7
CliftonvilleBallymena United
2Cards0
CliftonvilleBallymena United

Pre-match profilewhat do the season numbers say?

This is a team profile based on season data and form. Match-flow statistics are shown only after the fixture is played.

CliftonvilleBallymena United
1.44Goals scored / match1.21
CliftonvilleBallymena United
1.56Goals conceded / match1.53
CliftonvilleBallymena United
52%Average possession47%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
4.28Shots on target / match3.18
CliftonvilleBallymena United

Team statswho is more efficient?

Attack and defence comparison for both teams in the current season.

11.77Shots per match9.24
CliftonvilleBallymena United
4.28Shots on target3.18
CliftonvilleBallymena United
12.2%Shot conversion13.1%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
52%Possession47%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
1.41xG for1.17
CliftonvilleBallymena United
1.46xG against1.45
CliftonvilleBallymena United

Shooting quality

Cliftonville: BalancedBallymena United: Counter-attacking
CliftonvilleBallymena United
Accuracy (shots on target)36%34%
Chance quality (xG per shot)0.120.13
Finishing (goals per shot on target)0.340.38

xG per shot around 0.08 usually means long-range attempts; 0.15+ usually means box chances. The style label comes from possession, shot volume and conversion.

* xG (expected goals) says how many goals a team should score from its chances. If actual goals are above xG, finishing is above average; if below xG, chances are being missed.

Team formwho is in better shape?

Last five matches and season record, overall and split by home and away matches.

Cliftonville is 20% better for: last-5 form.

1.2 pts / match - Cliftonville · 1 pts / match - Ballymena United

Cliftonville
LLWWL
Season result split
38% W21% R41% P
Season (W-D-L)
15-8-16
1.36 pts / match · goal difference -5
Last 5 (W-D-L)
2-0-3
1.20 pts / match
Record at home (W-D-L)
9-4-7
Last 5 at home
2-1-2
WDLWL
Last 5 matches - averages
Goals scored: 1.4Goals conceded: 2.2xG: 1.27Opponent xG: 1.38BTTS: 80%Over 2.5: 80%
Ballymena United
DWDLL
Season result split
26% W24% R50% P
Season (W-D-L)
10-9-19
1.03 pts / match · goal difference -12
Last 5 (W-D-L)
1-2-2
1.00 pts / match
Record away (W-D-L)
5-2-12
Last 5 away
1-1-3
LLDWL
Last 5 matches - averages
Goals scored: 1.4Goals conceded: 1.6xG: 1.29Opponent xG: 0.98BTTS: 80%Over 2.5: 60%

Goalshow do both teams score and concede?

How many goals both teams score and concede, plus how often they keep a clean sheet or fail to score.

Cliftonville is 19% better for: goals scored per match.

1.44 goals / match - Cliftonville · 1.21 goals / match - Ballymena United

Cliftonville scoring profile: very strong

Cliftonville scores in 77% of matches (30 of 39 matches), while Ballymena United keeps a clean sheet in 18% (7 of 38 matches).

Ballymena United scoring profile: very strong

Ballymena United scores in 71% of matches (27 of 38 matches), while Cliftonville keeps a clean sheet in 26% (10 of 39 matches).

56Goals scored (season)46
CliftonvilleBallymena United
61Goals conceded (season)58
CliftonvilleBallymena United
3Average goals in match2.74
CliftonvilleBallymena United
7Goals scored (last 5)7
CliftonvilleBallymena United
11Goals conceded (last 5)8
CliftonvilleBallymena United

How often they score at least...

77%1 goal71%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
41%2 goals39%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
15%3 goals8%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
5%4 goals3%
CliftonvilleBallymena United

How often they concede at least...

74%1 goal82%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
54%2 goals61%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
15%3 goals11%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
8%4 goals0%
CliftonvilleBallymena United

* Statistics include both teams' home and away matches in the current season.

Both teams scored (BTTS)how often do both teams score?

How often both teams' matches have goals on both sides, compared with the league average.

55%
Ballymena United - BTTSBTTS - percentage of matches where both teams scored.21 of 38 matches
52%
League average

Goal patterns

26%BTTS at half-time24%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
8%BTTS in both halves8%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
21%Scored in both halves29%
CliftonvilleBallymena United

BTTS and goal count

54%Min. 3 goals and BTTS45%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
5%Min. 3 goals without BTTS3%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
80%BTTS - last 580%
CliftonvilleBallymena United

Goal count (Over/Under)how often do these matches cross the goal lines?

How often matches involving these teams clear goal thresholds, in the full match and in each half.

1st half

74%Min. 1 goal before half-time79%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
38%Min. 2 goals before half-time42%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
13%Min. 3 goals before half-time5%
CliftonvilleBallymena United

2nd half

77%Min. 1 goal after half-time82%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
49%Min. 2 goals after half-time47%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
23%Min. 3 goals after half-time11%
CliftonvilleBallymena United

Match halveswhen do the teams score more often?

How teams split performance between first and second half: goals, points, clean sheets and half-time state.

Cliftonville is 29% better for: first-half form (half-time points).

1.23 pts / match - Cliftonville · 0.95 pts / match - Ballymena United

Cliftonville - half-time state
28% leading38% draw33% trailing
Ballymena United - half-time state
18% leading39% draw42% trailing

Before half-time (1st half)

1.23Points per match (1st half)0.95
CliftonvilleBallymena United
0.64Goals scored (1st half)0.45
CliftonvilleBallymena United
0.77Goals conceded (1st half)0.84
CliftonvilleBallymena United
1.41Average goals (1st half)1.29
CliftonvilleBallymena United
46%Clean sheet before half-time39%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
54%No goal before half-time58%
CliftonvilleBallymena United

After half-time (2nd half)

1.38Points per match (2nd half)1.37
CliftonvilleBallymena United
0.79Goals scored (2nd half)0.76
CliftonvilleBallymena United
0.79Goals conceded (2nd half)0.68
CliftonvilleBallymena United
1.59Average goals (2nd half)1.45
CliftonvilleBallymena United
46%Clean sheet after half-time45%
CliftonvilleBallymena United
49%No goal after half-time42%
CliftonvilleBallymena United

Cliftonville - second-half results

36% W31% R33% P
48
Half-time points
25
Half-time goals
-5
Goal difference (1st half)
54
Second-half points
0
Goal difference (2nd half)
1.23
PPG before half-time
Lead holding136%

Leads at half-time in 28% of matches and wins 38%. Also wins matches without a half-time lead.

Defence after half-time+0.0

Defence stays stable across the full match.

Ballymena United - second-half results

32% W42% R26% P
36
Half-time points
17
Half-time goals
-15
Goal difference (1st half)
52
Second-half points
+3
Goal difference (2nd half)
0.95
PPG before half-time
Lead holding144%

Leads at half-time in 18% of matches and wins 26%. Also wins matches without a half-time lead.

Defence after half-time-0.2

Defence stays stable across the full match.

Cliftonville - last 5 matches by half
1st half2nd half
Points per match1.001.40
Goals scored / match1.00.4
Goals conceded / match1.60.6
Average goals in match2.61.0
1 goal80%80%
2 goals80%20%
3 goals40%0%
Clean sheet20%60%
No goal40%60%
Goal difference-3-1
Half-time: 20% leading - 40% draw - 40% trailing
2nd half: 40% won - 20% draw - 40% lost
BTTS at half-time (last 5): 60% - Half-time goals total: 5
Ballymena United - last 5 matches by half
1st half2nd half
Points per match1.001.60
Goals scored / match0.60.8
Goals conceded / match1.00.6
Average goals in match1.61.4
1 goal80%80%
2 goals40%40%
3 goals20%20%
Clean sheet40%40%
No goal40%40%
Goal difference-2+1
Half-time: 20% leading - 40% draw - 40% trailing
2nd half: 40% won - 40% draw - 20% lost
BTTS at half-time (last 5): 40% - Half-time goals total: 3

* Colours in tables show event frequency: green is common, yellow is moderate, red is rare. It is frequency, not a team rating.

Goals by minutewhen do goals arrive?

Match phases in which both teams most often score and concede.

Cliftonville
ScoredConceded
9
3
0-15
7
11
16-30
9
16
31-45
10
8
46-60
7
13
61-75
14
10
76-90

Most dangerous in minutes 76-90 (14 goli). Concedes most in 31-45 (16). Late-goal balance (76-90): +4 - wins late phases.

Ballymena United
ScoredConceded
5
13
0-15
4
8
16-30
8
11
31-45
8
7
46-60
13
5
61-75
8
14
76-90

Most dangerous in minutes 61-75 (13 goli). Concedes most in 76-90 (14). Late-goal balance (76-90): -6 - late phases are a weakness.

* Buckets 31-45 and 76-90 include added-time goals.

Additional team indicatorswhat do xG, efficiency and form show?

A comparison of chance quality, results and trends based on completed matches from the current season.

Match profile

2.87
Estimated goals
attack vs opponent defence
1.5 : 1.4
Estimated goal split
home : away
98%
Pace vs league
100% = league average
57%
Both teams scored (BTTS)
average from both teams' seasons
+57%
Derby effect
H2H goals vs typical matches
55%
BTTS estimate
from both teams' scoring frequency
7%
0:0 risk
about 1 in 14 matches
2-3
Most common goal range
attack vs defence on both sides

Cliftonville

Net xG balance
Difference between the quality of chances created and allowed per match.
-0.05
Results compared with xG
Difference between the actual goal balance and the balance suggested by xG.
-0.07
Points compared with goal balance
Comparison between collected points and the points implied by the team's goal balance.
-0.5 pts
Finishing efficiency
Does the team convert chances? Positive means it scores more than the quality of chances suggests.
+0.03
Defensive efficiency
Does the defence or goalkeeper save the team? Positive means it concedes less than the chances allowed suggest.
-0.10
Attack vs league
How much the team scores compared with the league average for this role. 120% means 20% above average.
89%
Defence vs league
How much the team concedes compared with the league average. 80% means 20% fewer goals conceded.
117%
Form trend
Compares points from the last 5 matches with the whole-season average.
-0.16
Stronger second half?
How many more goals the team scores after half-time than before it.
+0.2
Late goals
25% of this team's goals come in minutes 76-90. For comparison, 16% come in the first quarter-hour.
25%

Ballymena United

Net xG balance
Difference between the quality of chances created and allowed per match.
-0.28
Results compared with xG
Difference between the actual goal balance and the balance suggested by xG.
-0.04
Points compared with goal balance
Comparison between collected points and the points implied by the team's goal balance.
-5.0 pts
Finishing efficiency
Does the team convert chances? Positive means it scores more than the quality of chances suggests.
+0.04
Defensive efficiency
Does the defence or goalkeeper save the team? Positive means it concedes less than the chances allowed suggest.
-0.08
Attack vs league
How much the team scores compared with the league average for this role. 120% means 20% above average.
91%
Defence vs league
How much the team concedes compared with the league average. 80% means 20% fewer goals conceded.
95%
Form trend
Compares points from the last 5 matches with the whole-season average.
-0.03
Stronger second half?
How many more goals the team scores after half-time than before it.
+0.3
Late goals
17% of this team's goals come in minutes 76-90. For comparison, 11% come in the first quarter-hour.
17%

* The estimated goal total and split, BTTS estimate, 0:0 risk and goal range are calculated from public season averages and frequencies for both teams. This is a statistical match profile, not a private model prediction or betting pick. The remaining indicators describe completed matches from the season.

League contextis this a high-scoring league?

How both teams compare with league-wide averages (NIFL Premiership).

Teams vs league

CliftonvilleLigaBallymena United
Average goals in match 3.002.94 2.74
Both teams scored 59%52% 55%
Min. 3 goals (Over 2.5) 59%56% 47%
Clean sheets 26%26% 18%
Goal before half-time 74%76% 79%
Goal after half-time 77%80% 82%

^ green = above league average, ˇ red = below league average. This shows direction of the gap, not a team rating.

2.94
Average goals per match
52%
Both teams scored
56%
Min. 3 goals (Over 2.5)
26%
Clean sheets
1.61
Home goals / match
1.33
Away goals / match
+21%
Home attack advantage
+17%
Home defence advantage
+11%
Total home advantage
Goals in 1st half (whole league)
76%
1 goal
40%
2 goals
13%
3 goals
3%
4 goals
Goals in 2nd half (whole league)
80%
1 goal
47%
2 goals
22%
3 goals
8%
4 goals

Head-to-head

Recent meetings (2): Cliftonville 1 - 1 - 0 Ballymena United. Average goals 4.50, both teams scored in 100% matches.

Ballymena United FC
2 : 2
Cliftonville FC
Cliftonville FC
3 : 2
Ballymena United FC

FAQ

What was the result of Cliftonville vs Ballymena United?

The NIFL Premiership match finished Cliftonville 2:2 Ballymena United. Full match statistics, the half-by-half breakdown and head-to-head are on this page.

What is the head-to-head record between Cliftonville and Ballymena United?

In the last 2 head-to-head matches Cliftonville won 1, Ballymena United won 0 and 1 ended level. These games averaged 4.50 goals, with both teams scoring in 100% of them.

What do the goal statistics show before Cliftonville vs Ballymena United?

Cliftonville score 1.44 goals per game on average and Ballymena United 1.21. The NIFL Premiership average is 2.94 goals, with Over 2.5 landing in 56% of games. Both teams score in 59% of Cliftonville's matches and 55% of Ballymena United's.

What form are Cliftonville and Ballymena United in?

Over the last 5 games Cliftonville have a 2-0-3 record (1.20 points per game) and Ballymena United 1-2-2 (1.00 points per game).

Where can I find a betting tip and analysis for Cliftonville vs Ballymena United?

Here you can check the pre-match numbers for Cliftonville vs Ballymena United: form, H2H, goals and Over/Under. The pick itself, value and reasoning are published in the NoFluffPicks app.