Strugglers Dundalk welcome Cork City to Oriel Park with a fresh air of optimism ahead of the Airtricity Premier Division clash.
News this week that the Lilywhites are up to date on players wages and the signing of three new players has provided a boost to manager Darius Kierans as he looks to lead the Louth side away from trouble at the bottom of the table.
The outlook is not so good on the injury front as they will definitely be without defensive trio Liam Burns (dead leg), Eoghan Osborne (shin), Peter Thomas (shoulder ligament) and Ben McLaughlin (thigh).
The Lilywhites are also sweating on the fitness of Paul Walsh (groin), John Mountney (dead leg), Stephen McDonnell (groin) and Derek Foran (ankle).
More positively, the hosts will be able to call on Conor McDonald after his ankle injury cleared up, while newcomers Lorcan Shannon ,on loan from Shamrock Rovers., Mark O'Brien and Paul Whelan are also available for selection.
Cork have had a hugely inconsistent season with draws in half of their matches so far. It leaves them eight points off the European places but if they improve in the last 12 matches of the year it would not beyond the realms of possibility.
Veteran Colin Healy is struggling to overcome a thigh strain, and the Rebels also have concerns over Graham McCarthy (ankle) and Cathal Lordan (knee). Striker Keigan Parker is a definite absentee as he serves a suspension for his dismissal against Shelbourne.
Manager Tommy Dunne is predicting a hard gamd in Oriel: “Week-in, week-out, we are facing difficult games and this will be no different.
"Dundalk are a team well capable of causing problems for anyone in this league as they have shown, and they are on a decent run at the moment. We need to be clued in and vigilant if we are to get a result.
“Against Shelbourne I thought we performed quite well, but did not take the chances we created. Over the last couple of games we have not had the cutting edge either defensively or up front to claim the three points.
"Our general play has been quite good, but being more clinical is the difference between drawing games and winning games."
Kierans feels a win this week could make a big difference: “Getting three points is key in this league because things are so tight, between the top, the middle and the bottom of the table.
“We’re hoping to get that win sooner rather than later, but the boys are working extremely hard, and there are a lot of positives to take out of all three performances.
“I think it’s only a matter of time before we can put a run together.”
