Harrogate Town vs Bradford City Prediction

Struggling Harrogate Town will be looking to reverse their recent run of poor form when they host a talented Bradford City at the Exercise Stadium on Saturday.

A win for the home side would give them some breathing room from the relegation zone below them, while Bradford could move comfortably into the play-off spots should they pick up three points on the road.

It is bound to be a fascinating match, so to tee you up perfectly, here’s everything you need to know ahead of the League Two weekend clash.

Key Statistics

• Harrogate have scored just three goals in their last five games.
• Harrogate and Bradfords head to head in the last five games stand at 2-1-2.
• Bradford lie in 8th place, one place above their finish of 9th last campaign.
• Bradford Striker Andy Cook has the second highest XG of any player in the league, with 3.5.

Harrogate Town Preview

Harrogate Town Predicted Lineup (4-4-2): James Belshaw (GK); Liam Gibson, Anthony O’Connor, Jasper Moon, Toby Sims; James Daly, Josh Falkingham, Stephen Dooley, Ellis Taylor; Jack Muldoon, Josh March.

Despite having a fully fit squad at his disposal, coach Simon Weaver has so far been unable to find a consistent winning formula for Harrogate thus far this season.

They have won just 1 of their last 6 competitive games, with the low point being a 5-0 home defeat to Preston in the Carabao Cup. They have also won just three games all season, with one of these being in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

However, there is a silver lining for Harrogate, as they were undefeated in both of last season's meetings against Bradford, form that they will want to rediscover here.

Bradford City Preview

Bradford City Predicted Lineup (4-4-2): Colin Doyle (GK); Lewis Richards, Cheick Diabate, Jack Shepherd, Jay Benn; Clarke Oduor, Richard Smallwood, Alexander Pattison, Bobby Pointon; Andy Cook, Oliver Sanderson.

Bradford, although in decent enough form, are suffering something of an early season injury crisis, particularly across the back line.

Missing Ciaran Kelly, Neil Byrne and left sided defender Aden Baldwin, Bradford appear to be down to bare bones in defense, although the midfield and forward ranks essentially pick themselves at the moment.

Despite this, they lie in 8th, one spot outside the play-off positions, and while their defense is currently a throw together lineup, they still have achieved the most successful tackles of any side per game, coming away with the ball 12.6 times every 90 minutes.

Harrogate Town vs Bradford City Head to Head

Last Five Meetings:

• 23/03/2024: Harrogate 3-0 Bradford.
• 16/09/2023: Bradford 1-1 Harrogate.
• 29/12/2022: Bradford 1-0 Harrogate.
• 08/11/2022: Bradford 0-1 Harrogate.
• 01/10/2022: Harrogate 1-2 Bradford.

Overall Head to Head: Harrogate: 6. Drawn: 1. Bradford: 2.

Harrogate Town vs Bradford City Betting Tips

Given Harrogate's poor form in the opening portion of the season, it is no surprise to see them listed as significant underdogs.

While they have a winning head to head record with Bradford City, their opponents have more quality in the squad, and more importantly, better form to draw inspiration from.

Final Prediction: Harrogate Town vs Bradford City

Harrogate 1-3 Bradford City

I can't see past a win for the Bantam's here. Despite being at a disadvantage by playing away, their squad has far outperformed Harrogate, and with the play-off spots in sight, there will be extra motivation to sweep aside their struggling opponenets.