Carlisle vs Stevenage Prediction & Betting Tips

Stevenage travel to Carlisle hoping for three points to keep their intense battle for a League One play-off spot alive.

Date: 23/03/24

Kick-off time: 15:00

Venue: Brunton Park

The hosts Carlisle United are rooted to the bottom of the table with little hope of survival. With eight games remaining, they are 16 points from safety, meaning they will almost certainly be playing their football in League Two next season.

In contrast, Stevenage have plenty to play for. They are currently in eighth place, two points off Oxford United in sixth, and they also have a game in hand. A victory this weekend could see them move into the play-off places should results go their way, as they seek promotion to the Championship for the first time in their history. However, they have really struggled of late, going scoreless in four of their last seven games, and finding the back of the net just three times in this stretch.

Steve Evans’ side will be looking to get back on track against a side who have most likely accepted their fate of relegation, but they will be without striker Jamie Reid who will be away on international duty. Reid has scored over a third of his club’s goals with 17, so will be a huge miss. Carlisle have scored in five of their last six fixtures. Jordan Gibson will be their biggest threat as he leads the way with seven goals.

Since 2020, these two sides have met seven times, with all but one coming in League Two. Carlisle have just edged the head-to-head, winning three to Stevenage’s two. The reverse fixture earlier this season ended with the points shared as they drew 2-2. The hosts Stevenage took the lead twice, but were pegged back both times including a 90th minute equaliser from Joe Garner.

Carlisle

Midfielder Josh Vela is set for a long spell on the sidelines after picking up a knee injury. Callum Guy and Terry Ablade are out with season ending injuries. Georgie Kelly is yet to return from an injured calf.

Stevenage

Captain Carl Piergianni is out for the second of a three-game suspension. Goalkeeper Taye Ashby-Hammond picked up a knock in the warm-ups last weekend so his availability is in doubt for this game. Striker Jamie Reid has been selected for the Northern Ireland squad so will be absent this weekend.

Carlisle

In their last five games, Carlisle have won one and lost four. Despite picking up one victory, Carlisle have struggled mightily, as they sit bottom of the table. The only win of this stretch came at the beginning, as they beat Burton Albion 1-0 away from home. Paul Huntington scored the winner just before the half hour mark.

They could not continue their winning momentum, with Reading 3-1 winners at Brunton Park. Sam Smith put the visitors ahead after 17 minutes, before Harvey Knibbs doubled and then tripled this lead in the second half. Jon Mellish pulled one back with his side’s only shot on target, but the goal proved to be nothing more than a consolation as they fell to another defeat. They also narrowly lost 3-2 at Charlton, but will have been disappointed to not take anything away from the game after they took a first half lead. Luke Armstrong broke the deadlock, but this was cancelled out by Alfie May. Daniel Kanu turned it around, before Taylor Charters once again levelled the score from the spot. May completed his brace as he scored the winner with 15 minutes to go.

Barnsley inflicted a second 3-2 loss in a row, another game which Carlisle took the lead in. Armstrong was the scorer again, but Jordan Williams made it 1-1. Barnsley took the lead just after the restart and Jon Russell added a third later on. Daniel Butterworth made it 3-2 but it was too little too late for the hosts. Their most recent game was a trip to Shrewsbury in which they lost 1-0. Daniel Udoh’s 40th minute goal proved to be the difference.

Stevenage

In their last five games, Stevenage have won one, drawn two and lost two. Stevenage have been inconsistent as of late, and this continued in their most recent game. They faced Leyton Orient at home and lost 1-0. Max Sanders scored in the 16th minute for the visitors.

This followed a 3-1 defeat at Peterborough, in what was a comfortable victory for the hosts. Stevenage managed to keep them at bay for the majority of the first half, but gave away a penalty on the stroke of half-time which was converted by Harrison Burrows. Jadel Katongo and Kwame Poku then added to the lead in the second half. Nick Freeman pulled one back with five minutes to go, but this was nothing more than a consolation.

A pair of 0-0 draws meant that Stevenage picked up two important points. The first of these games came away at fellow play-off hopefuls Lincoln City. It was an even affair with neither team able to find a breakthrough. The second draw was at home to Fleetwood, though they would have been disappointed not to have come away with all three points. Harrison Holgate’s red card meant the away side played the remaining 20 minutes with ten men, but the hosts could not take advantage. Their only win of this stretch was a 1-0 win over Cambridge. Midfielder Jordan Roberts’ first half strike proved to be the difference between the two sides.

Both teams have struggled for wins of late and have difficulties scoring, setting up for a low scoring affair this weekend. We expect there to be nothing to split the pair with the points being shared – Carlisle 1-1 Stevenage

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Carlisle vs Stevenage will not be available to watch on TV in the UK. However, you can follow the game on BBC Sport and Sky Sports.

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