Crusaders welcome Portadown at Seaview, Belfast on Saturday, Jan 16 at 4:00 PM in a Premiership fixture that's tighter on paper than the positions suggest — just 2 points split them in the table.

Crusaders come into this fixture in mixed form (2W 0D 3L). Portadown travel struggling badly (1W 3L in last 5), which may hand the initiative to the hosts. Crusaders head into this on the back of a defeat, while Portadown arrive off a win — momentum clearly with the visitors.

In 10 previous meetings, Crusaders lead 3–5 with 2 draws. Their last encounter ended in Crusaders won 3–2. These two tend to produce goals — averaging 3.2 per game in recent meetings.

Verdict: This looks an evenly matched contest. Home advantage gives Crusaders a slight edge, but Portadown are capable of causing problems. A draw would be a fair result.