Cliftonville vs St Josephs FC Predictions

Cliftonville vs St Joseph’s predictions for this UEFA Conference League tie. Cliftonville host St. Joseph’s Thursday at Solitude in the Conference League second leg, with an open tie expected and both teams tipped to score in this decisive clash. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.

UEFA Conference League | Jul 17 2025 at 7:45 pm UK at Solitude

Cliftonville vs St Josephs FC Predictions

Will Cliftonville’s Home Advantage Be Enough or Are St Joseph’s About to Pull Off a Shocker?

• Attack First, Defend Later
  • Cliftonville’s last three games all produced over 2.5 goals, with both teams scoring in the majority of recent fixtures—a pattern they can’t seem to shake.
• St Joseph’s Know Where the Net Is
  • They’ve scored two or more goals in each of their last five games and registered 20 shots in the first leg, showing their attacking intent isn’t just a phase.
• Neither Side Keeps Many Clean Sheets
  • Both teams are scoring freely, but neither are regularly shutting the back door—just 0.67 goals conceded per game for each, suggesting defensive balance is not their strong suit.

Best Bet for Cliftonville vs St Josephs FC

It’s crunch time in Belfast as Cliftonville host St Joseph’s in the return leg of their UEFA Conference League first qualifying round. With the first match ending in a dramatic 2-2 draw, this tie remains delicately poised—like a bad rom-com cliffhanger, but with far more crunching tackles and less awkward flirting. Taking place at Solitude, Cliftonville’s faithful will be expecting their side to make home turf count, especially with a shot at facing Shamrock Rovers in the next round hanging in the balance.

The first leg certainly didn’t lack entertainment. Cliftonville were forced to come from behind twice and managed to snatch a draw despite being down to 10 men for the final half-hour. That sort of resilience should never be underestimated, but neither should the fact that St Joseph’s completely dominated the shot count—20 efforts to Cliftonville’s five. The Gibraltarian side were left ruing missed chances and a result that arguably flattered the Reds.

Still, Cliftonville aren’t exactly limping into this one. A 5-0 thrashing of Crumlin United in a friendly days after the first leg will have restored some swagger, and they’ve been finding the net with regularity—two or more goals in four of their last five outings. But there’s no denying this one could go either way, and with both teams showing attacking edge, it’s shaping up to be a proper end-to-end battle.

Best Bet for Cliftonville vs St Joseph’s

Selection: BTTS & Over 2.5 Goals

This is our top-rated prediction for the clash—meticulously selected after weighing up every available angle, stat and trend. At BettingTips4You.com, we strip away the noise and give just one crystal-clear pick per match. Fewer tips, better focus. It keeps things simple, sharp, and, most importantly, trackable.

Backing both teams to score and over 2.5 goals makes complete sense here. Let’s start with the obvious: both sides scored twice in the first leg and looked determined to go toe-to-toe. Cliftonville may have been numerically disadvantaged, but their defensive vulnerabilities were exposed even before the red card. That’s not a one-off either. In three of their last five games, they’ve seen both teams score and the match go over 2.5 goals. That tells us something fundamental—when Cliftonville play open football, the floodgates don’t take long to swing open.

On the other side, St Joseph’s are no slouches in front of goal. They’ve bagged at least two goals in five consecutive matches and found the net in nine of their last ten. That’s a level of consistency few can ignore. Even more compelling is their performance last week, where they were far superior in terms of chances created. The result didn’t tell the full story—they looked like the better team for long spells.

And when you put it all together, a tight, cagey 1-0 doesn’t seem likely. Not with European qualification on the line, not with both teams firing in the final third, and definitely not when neither defence has looked particularly watertight.

“Cliftonville and St Joseph’s both bring firepower into this second leg, and with a place in the next round at stake, goals are inevitable,” said BettingTips4You.com expert Steve Harrington. “Expect an open game with action at both ends—BTTS & Over 2.5 looks the bet to be on.”

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Predicted Scoreline: Cliftonville 2-2 St Joseph’s (AET possible)

Yes, we’re calling it—another 2-2 thriller. Both teams know how to score, and with neither looking capable of shutting up shop for 90 minutes, the same result as the first leg feels oddly plausible. Extra time could very well be on the cards if this one plays out like we expect.

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