Crewe Alexandra vs Doncaster Rovers: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

Doncaster Rovers make the trip to Gresty Road to take on Crewe Alexandra in the first leg of the League Two Play-offs Semi Finals. A big win here could set the team up for an easier ride to the Final at Wembley.

Date: 06/05/2024

Kick off time: 17:30

Location: Gresty Road

Both Crewe and Doncaster could be considered ‘yo-yo’ teams and are looking to make a return to League One after two seasons back in League Two.

Crewe Alexandra finished the League Two season in sixth after 46 games. The Railwaymen picked up 19 wins, 14 draws and 13 losses, leaving them on 71 points, just two points inside the Play-offs but 15 points from automatic promotion.

The Railwaymen currently average three seasons in a league before either promotion or relegation. The last promotion Crewe won was in 2020, where they finished second on average points per game after the season was shortened. Before that, the last promotion from League Two came back in 2012, where they beat Southend 3 - 2 on aggregate in the Semi Finals and beat Cheltenham 2 - 0 in the Play-off Final.

Doncaster finished League Two just above Crewe in fifth. In 46 games, Rovers picked up 21 wins, eight draws and 17 losses which left them on 71 points, equal with Crewe and 15 points from Mansfield in the last automatic promotion spot.

The last Play-offs Doncaster played in was back in 2019 in League One after they finished sixth in the league. However, after a 1 - 1 draw and a 0 - 0 draw in the Semi Finals against Mansfield, Doncaster lost on penalties. The promotions in 2017 and 2013 saw Doncaster win automatic promotion, with the last Play-off triumph coming back in 2008 - where Doncaster beat Southend 5 - 1 in the Semi Finals and beat Leeds 1 - 0 in the Final.

Crewe and Doncaster have met 109 times in their histories, with the first meeting coming back in 1924. Doncaster have the better record in the fixture with 44 wins in comparison to Crewe’s 38 wins, the other 27 games ending in a draw.

The last five games in this fixture have seen two wins each for Crewe and Doncaster and one draw. Two of the last four games have seen both sides on the scoresheet and three of the last four games have seen just two goals.

Crewe Alexandra Team News

Lee Bell could be without the likes of Christopher Long, Conor Thomas, Courtney Baker-Richardson, Ed Turns, Luke Offord and Jack Powell this weekend.

Doncaster Rovers Team News

Grant McCann could be without Ian Lawlor and Ben Close this weekend. Thimothee Jacques Orcel Lo-Tutala is still suspended.

In their last five games in all competitions, Crewe have one win, two draws and two losses.

Both Crewe and Accrington Stanley only had two shots on target for the entire 90 minutes and were unable to convert any of them as the game ended in a 0 - 0 draw.

Crewe bounced back the next time out against Morecambe. Elliott Nevitt scored the only goal of the game in the 70th minute to give Crewe the 1 - 0 win, even despite the late red card to Lewis Leigh.

Despite having more of the possession, Crewe could only manage five shots with two of them on target, in comparison to Grimsby’s 21 shots with five of them on target. Crewe failed to convert any of their shots again as Toby Mullarkey, Curtis Thompson and Denver Hume all scored for Grimsby to give them the 3 - 0 win over Crewe.

It was another 3 - 0 loss for Crewe, this time against Wrexham. Ollie Palmer and Paul Mullin both scored in the first half to give Wrexham the 2 - 0 lead at halftime. The red card to Crewe’s Ryan Cooney early in the second half then left Crewe vulnerable as Andy Cannon scored to give Wrexham the 3 - 0 win.

The last time out for Crewe was against Colchester. Noah Chilvers opened the scoring for Colchester in the first half, but Crewe finally found the back of the net in extra time as Nevitt scored to rescue a 1 - 1 draw for Crewe.

In their last five games in all competitions, Doncaster have four wins and one draw.

Joe Ironside opened the scoring for Doncaster just before halftime and Hakeeb Adelakun doubled the lead with 15 minutes to go. Isaac Hutchinson did score in extra time for Walsall but Doncaster held on for the 2 - 1 win.

Adelakun and Ironside were both on the scoresheet again for Doncaster in the first half to give them the 2 - 0 lead over Accrington Stanley at halftime. James Maxwell and Owen Bailey also scored in the second half to secure the 4 - 0 win for Doncaster.

Doncaster were the side 2 - 0 down at halftime against Barrow, with Emile Acquah and Rory Feely scoring for Barrow. However, a brace from Ironside and goals from Adelakun and Harrison Biggins in the second half gave Doncaster the 4 - 2 win.

The Rovers were behind again, this time against Colchester as Jayden Fevrier found the back of the net for Colchester in the ninth minute. Luke Molyneux equalised just five minutes later and Biggins scored to give Doncaster the lead at halftime. Tom Anderson and Ironside also scored in the second half to secure the 4 - 1 win for Doncaster.

The most recent outing for Doncaster was against Gillingham. Ironside and Molyneux gave Doncaster the 2 - 0 lead at halftime but Lo-Tutala was sent off early on in the second half for Doncaster. Timothee Dieng scored just two minutes later and then an own goal from Anderson forced the 2 - 2 draw.

Crewe have had mixed form recently, making it more likely for Doncaster to pick up a win in the first leg. However, Crewe are likely to at least score. Crewe Alexandra 1 - 3 Doncaster Rovers.

Crewe Alexandra vs Doncaster Rovers will be shown on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event in the U.K. and the game can also be followed online on Sky Sports or BBC Sport.

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