Cork City v Dundalk, Turner's Cross, 7.20pm [Live, RTÉ2]
Cork City have another chance to finally cross the threshold and claim the Airtricity League Premier Division title on Monday night.
And for the first time, their ability to do so is not contingent on results elsewhere.
Recent performances do not inspire confidence that they can get the job done against their only pursuers, the in-form Dundalk, even on their home patch.
Unbeaten in the first 22 matches of the season, Cork have now lost four of the last six, shipping defeats to Bohemians, Sligo Rovers, Shamrock Rovers, and Limerick. Where once they seemed destined to swagger to the title by a record-breaking tally, now they are coughing and wheezing their way over the line.
The dip in form has, of course, coincided with the departure of top goalscorer Seanie Maguire for Preston along with full back Kevin O'Connor.
Dundalk, by contrast, have won their last four league games, scoring 16 goals in the process and conceding none.
Team News:
Cork City: Johnny Dunleavy and Alec Byrne remain sidelined through injury, but Caulfield is hopeful that a few knocks and niggles from Friday’s game against Limerick will have cleared up and that he will have a full squad to choose from.
Dundalk: Steven Kinsella limped off in Friday night's defeat of Drogheda United and there's a doubt over Tommy Stewart who has a hip flexor injury. John Mountney remains sidelined with an osteos pubis problem while Niclas Vemmelund misses out due to a suspension after accumulating five yellow cards.
Gaffer talk
John Caulfield (Cork City): "We need to eliminate the mistakes we made the other night and go and play like we can play and like we have in previous games against Dundalk. You are nothing in any club without your supporters. We need everyone in the ground early, right behind the lads. We need that positive vibe."
Player talk
David McMillan (Dundalk): "We can only affect our own results. We want to go and win. Our form against Cork hasn't been overly good in the last while so we want to go out and rectify that. It's going to be a tough game we know that and it's always a good battle between the two sides so I'm sure it'll be another one."
St Patrick's Athletic v Shamrock Rovers, Richmond Park, 7.45pm
After collecting a couple of good results in August, St. Pat's have since sunk back into the relegation zone, partly a consequence of the sharp form of some of their rivals in the bottom half of the table.
Pat's were unlucky not to steal a point from their visit to Dalymount Park on Friday, a spirited display in sharp contrast to their 6-0 spanking at Oriel Park at the beginning of the month.
However, now they run into Shamrock Rovers who have tightened their hold on third position with four straight wins.
Team news
St Patrick's Athletic: Pat's are boosted by the return of skipper Ian Bermingham from suspension, though fellow defender Gavin Peers misses out as he serves a ban. Both Darren Dennehy and Barry Murphy miss out through injury.
Shamrock Rovers: Dave McAllister is suspended but 17-year-old Aaron Bolger is available after serving a one -game ban. Trevor Clarke damaged his ankle in training and will be assessed before the game. Mikey O'Connor returns after a shoulder injury.
Gaffer talk
Liam Buckley (St. Pat's): "We were unfortunate on Friday not to pick up a point or more but we cannot dwell on that. We’ve another Dublin Derby and it’s a quick turnaround for the players. We know that the crowd will come out in big numbers so it's up to us to give them something to shout about."
Stephen Bradley: "We know that Pat's are going to be really up for it. Where they are in the league, they're going to be fighting and especially tonight against us. They've got threats all over the pitch but we'll be ready for that. It's a big game for us as well because we can get a good grip on third if we go and win tonight."
