Larne vs Ballymena United: prediction and stats
PremiershipRegular Season - 24Kick-off on January 2, 2027 at 03:00 PM (UTC)Inver Park, Larne
The Footlab AI model makes Larne the favourite at 53%, against 24% for a draw and 23% for Ballymena United. The most likely score is 1-1. If Larne wins, the most likely score is 2-1.
Footlab AI's cards found the right outcome in 54.3% of the 2,834 matches already evaluated, against 33.3% for random guessing. See the measured accuracy
Probabilities recomputed on Oct 19, 2026. The full match card is recomputed continuously until kick-off.
Who will win Larne vs Ballymena United?
Larne starts as the favourite with a 250-point Elo edge (1,803 vs 1,554).
Computed by the Footlab AI model from our own data only, with no AI analysis.
Probable lineup for Larne vs Ballymena United
Computed by Footlab AI from our own data only: recent lineups, squads and known absences. It does not take the press or last-minute absences into account.
Larne
4-3-3- 9P. O'Neill
- 30M. Lusty
- 45M. Gibson
- 6C. Gallagher
- 26D. Bent
- 15R. Doherty
- 4A. Donnelly
- 23T. Cosgrove
- 3M. Ridley
- 11S. Graham
- 1R. Ferguson
Ballymena United
4-3-3- 9Igor Rutkowski
- 7C. McKee
- 22S. Edogun
- 6F. Sule
- 8J. Archer
- 13F. Thorndike
- 2D. Toure
- 15D. McCallion
- 26K. Lyons-Foster
- 3M. Glynn
- 1D. Walsh
Computed on October 19, 2026 at 06:20 PM (UTC).
What is the recent form of both teams?
Over their last 15 matches in all competitions, Larne have 8 wins, 2 draws and 5 defeats; Ballymena United have 6, 5 and 4.
The competition is shown for every match: in pre-season, several of these games are friendlies.
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2026 | Coleraine FC(home) | 2-3 | Premiership |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Crusaders FC(away) | 3-0 | Premiership |
| Sep 19, 2026 | Carrick Rangers(away) | 5-2 | Premiership |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Cliftonville FC(home) | 2-0 | Premiership |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Portadown(away) | 2-0 | Premiership |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17, 2026 | Crusaders FC(home) | 2-1 | Premiership |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Limavady United(away) | 2-3 | Premiership |
| Oct 3, 2026 | Cliftonville FC(away) | 1-0 | Premiership |
| Sep 26, 2026 | Portadown(home) | 2-0 | Premiership |
| Sep 19, 2026 | Dungannon Swifts(away) | 1-1 | Premiership |
What does the head-to-head say?
Across the last 6 meetings: 5 Larne wins, 0 draws, 1 Ballymena United win.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 28, 2026 | Ballymena United 0-2 Larne | Premiership |
| Feb 3, 2026 | Ballymena United 1-2 Larne | Irish Cup |
| Dec 2, 2025 | Ballymena United 2-0 Larne | League Cup |
| Nov 1, 2025 | Ballymena United 0-2 Larne | Premiership |
| Aug 29, 2025 | Larne 2-0 Ballymena United | Premiership |
| Mar 11, 2025 | Ballymena United 1-2 Larne | Premiership |
Last archived meeting: Ballymena United vs Larne on Feb 28, 2026
How many goals should we expect?
Larne score 1.5 and concede 1.4 goals per match over their last 15; Ballymena United score 1.9 and concede 1.3. The model gives a 56% probability of over 2.5 goals and 57% for both teams to score.
| Club | Goals scored / match | Goals conceded / match | Clean sheets | Both teams scored | Over 2.5 goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larne | 1.5 | 1.4 | 7 | 5/15 | 9/15 |
| Ballymena United | 1.9 | 1.3 | 4 | 10/15 | 9/15 |
Over the last 15 matches in all competitions.
Where do both teams sit in the table?
Larne sit 4th in Premiership (19 points from 8 matches) and Ballymena United sit 6th (15 points from 11 matches).
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Larne | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 6 | 19 |
| 6 | Ballymena United | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 15 | 15 |
A question about Larne vs Ballymena United?
Ask Footlab AI: lineups, absences, player form, stats, how the match could unfold.
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How does Footlab AI compute this prediction?
The model combines both teams' Elo ratings (anchored by competition pool), their recent form weighted by opponent strength, home advantage and a Poisson matrix for scorelines. When bookmakers publish odds for the match, their consensus is built into the calculation: that is what proved most accurate on past matches. Its accuracy is measured continuously on the predictions actually published. Methodology and measured accuracy
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the favourite for Larne vs Ballymena United?
- The Footlab AI model makes Larne the favourite at 53%, against 24% for a draw and 23% for Ballymena United.
- Where and when is Larne vs Ballymena United played?
- Larne vs Ballymena United is played on January 2, 2027 at 03:00 PM (UTC) at Inver Park, in the Premiership.
- Will there be over 2.5 goals?
- The Footlab AI model gives a 56% probability of at least three goals in this match.
- How reliable is this prediction?
- Footlab AI's cards found the right outcome (home win, draw or away win) in 54.3% of the matches already evaluated, against 33.3% for random guessing, a level comparable with the bookmakers' favourite. The comparison with bookmakers and the breakdown by competition and Elo gap are published on the accuracy page.