Doncaster Rovers vs Crewe Alexandra Match Analysis & Prediction
10/05/2024 10:00 pm
Both looking to make a return to League One at the second attempt, Doncaster Rovers and Crewe Alexandra will meet for the second leg of their League Two playoff semi-final at Eco-Power Stadium on Friday night.
The Rovers possess a commanding lead following Monday’s encounter at the Mornflake Stadium, where the Railwaymen’s poor form from the end of the regular season continued.
In the wider context, Doncaster managed to extend their unbeaten run in League Two to a highly-impressive 13 matches with a 2-0 victory over Crewe in the first leg on Monday, placing one foot on the Wembley turf where either Crawley Town or Milton Keynes Dons will await for a final contest.
Stepping up once again in the big moments for Doncaster, winger Luke Molyneux provided an emphatic finish to put the visitors one goal ahead at the Mornflake Stadium, before a costly mistake from Crewe captain Mickey Demetriou allowed Harrison Biggins to double his side’s advantage in the tie.
Grant McCann has his Rovers team in an excellent vein of form heading into Friday’s second-leg tie at the Eco-Power Stadium, last tasting defeat in League Two on March 2, when Doncaster made the trip to playoff-chasing Walsall and suffered an out-of-character 3-1 loss.
Doncaster’s recent record in South Yorkshire makes grim reading for the Crewe faithful ahead of Friday’s decider, with the Rovers currently enjoying an eight-game unbeaten run in home matches, meaning that the hosts will be confident of easing through to the final.
Meanwhile, despite finishing the regular season on the same number of League Two points, Crewe find themselves miles behind Doncaster heading into the second leg on Friday, with manager Liam Bell claiming that the Rovers used their superior experience to collect an impressive result at the Mornflake Stadium.
Speaking after the game, Crewe’s Demetriou vowed that his side were not done in the semi-final yet, pointing to their decent away record as a source for cautious optimism, with their most recent success coming at Mazuma Mobile Stadium against Morecambe on April 9.
A repeat of March’s encounter between these two sides at the Eco-Power Stadium would see Doncaster cruise into the Wembley final at a canter, with McCann’s side claiming a 2-0 victory over Crewe in Yorkshire, where loanee Hakeeb Adelakun and Tommy Rowe breached the net of Tom Booth.
Doncaster Rovers vs. Crewe Alexandra Head to head
In the previous 27 meetings between these two teams, they have each claimed 11 victories while they have drawn in five. Doncaster have scored 41 goals and conceded 36 in the process.
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22/10/2022Crewe Alexandra1Doncaster Rovers1League Two
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01/04/2023Doncaster Rovers0Crewe Alexandra2League Two
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25/12/2023Crewe Alexandra3Doncaster Rovers2League Two
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09/03/2024Doncaster Rovers2Crewe Alexandra0League Two
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06/05/2024Crewe Alexandra0Doncaster Rovers2League Two
Doncaster Rovers Team News
Doncaster are sweating over the fitness of midfielder Matthew Craig after he was forced off due to a knock to the foot on Monday, but McCann is expecting the 21-year-old to be available.
Following his goal last time out, Biggins was quickly substituted to manage his minutes, meaning that the likes of Rowe and Kyle Hurst are set to start on the bench once again.
Doncaster Rovers's Last 5 Matches
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13/04/2024Doncaster Rovers4Accrington Stanley0League Two
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20/04/2024Doncaster Rovers4Barrow2League Two
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23/04/2024Colchester United1Doncaster Rovers4League Two
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27/04/2024Gillingham2Doncaster Rovers2League Two
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06/05/2024Crewe Alexandra0Doncaster Rovers2League Two
Crewe Alexandra Team News
Fresh from signing a new two-year deal at Crewe, Conor Thomas could be in line to be promoted from the bench on Friday as the visitors aim to produce an unlikely comeback.
The 30-year-old could earn a starting berth at the expense of either Josh Austerfield or Joel Tabiner, with Bell potentially opting to freshen up his engine room.
Crewe Alexandra's Last 5 Matches
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09/04/2024Morecambe0Crewe Alexandra1League Two
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13/04/2024Crewe Alexandra0Grimsby Town3League Two
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20/04/2024Crewe Alexandra0Wrexham3League Two
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27/04/2024Colchester United1Crewe Alexandra1League Two
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06/05/2024Crewe Alexandra0Doncaster Rovers2League Two
Doncaster Rovers vs. Crewe Alexandra: Odds and Predictions
Main Prediction
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