The top two teams in the League of Ireland Premier Division clash this evening as Declan Devine brings his Bohemians side to his former and hometown club Derry City in the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.
Both outfits suffered rare setbacks on Friday, with Bohs losing their unbeaten home record and the Candystripes going down to a first loss in all competitions to Drogheda United.
The chasing pack closed the gap as a result, with Shamrock Rovers ominously moving up the table thanks to their win over their Dublin rivals.
Derry boss Ruaidhri Higgins is happy to have a game on the horizon so quickly after a "poor night at the office" for his charges.
"We didn't play well against Drogheda, there’s no getting away from that, but with a short turnaround, we obviously now need to switch our attention to Monday."
"It’s a great game for us. Bohs are a good side and they’ve started the season really well."
The return of Devine to Derry is one talking point around the fixture, yet Higgins feel it’s largely irrelevant.
"We won’t be thinking about that and I’m fairly sure Declan won’t either. It’s Derry City against Bohemians and hopefully it will be a good game in front of a big noisy Brandywell crowd."
Cameron McJannet is suspended for Derry after his red card last Friday.
The Hoops, meanwhile, are looking to make it three wins on the spin when struggling UCD visit Tallaght Stadium
Fresh from their Dublin derby victory in Dalymount Park, they can make further strides in rising up the rankings following their slow start.
College finally stopped their run of defeats with a stalemate against Shelbourne, but a trip to Tallaght will be the last thing they wanted on the back of such a result.
Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley will respect UCD despite them not securing a victory so far this campaign: "We’ve got to be expecting a tough game and the best UCD to show up. We’ve got to make sure that we respect them like we do every team and I’ve no doubt we will.
"It’s the same three points on offer here as it was on Friday night so our mentality and approach don’t change. We give UCD the respect they deserve and we’ll be fully focused on trying to win the game."
Ronan Finn and Richie Towell are doubtful from the illness which entered the champions’ camp ahead of the Bohs game.
Johnny Kenny, Aaron Greene and Gary O’Neill have recovered.
Simon Power and Liam Burt are out due to injuries.
Another side searching for three successive victories is St Patrick’s Athletic when they make the short trip north to face Drogheda at Weavers Park.
Comfortable home wins over UCD and Cork City, the bottom two sides in the division, have transformed the outlook on the table for the Saints.
They sit just seven points from the summit and within one of the European spot in third place, demonstrating just how little separates teams in the league so far this year.
United are likely to provide a much sterner test having once again shown what a capable squad Kevin Doherty has put together this season with their victory in Derry.
They’ve extended their advantage over UCD to a double-figure amount and perhaps more importantly now six clear of the promotion/relegation play-off position.
Tim Clancy is another manager returning to his former side this evening as he does battle with his ex-assistant in what will be a sold out crowd in Drogheda.
A number of former Pat's players could line out for Drogs with Luke Heeney, Darragh Markey, Ben Curtis and Ryan Brennan now plying their trade in Louth.
Clancy said: "Drogheda have started the season well, the result they had away to Derry on Friday night was exceptional, it's going to be a difficult game. we had good results up there last season and got two good wins, we want to build on our wins over UCD and Cork City and we'll be hoping to go to Weavers Park tonight and put in another positive performance."
Danny Rogers (thumb), Tom Grivosti (hamstring), Harry Brockbank (calf) continue to miss out through injury.
Sligo Rovers will be looking to build on their impressive win in Dundalk with another away game against Shelbourne in Tolka Park.
Two of their international players were on target in Dundalk as league leading scorer Max Mata scored his sixth of the season, while Faroe Islands number 10 Stefan Radosavljevic bagged the last-minute goal for victory.
It has been an inconsistent start for Sligo, but they’ve also claimed some impressive wins over the likes of Pat’s and the Lilywhites, as well as draws with Derry and Shamrock Rovers.
Shels left manager Damien Duff hugely disappointed with their stalemate in Belfield.
Goals are proving their biggest issue. Duff said afterwards he didn’t speak to his players in the dressing-room having promised an energetic display in his pre-match comments for that game.
His silence is with a view to a response this evening, as they look to add to the one time they’ve hit the net in four home games so far this season.
John Russell is hoping to see his side close on the top two knowing at least one will drop points from their game in Derry..
He said: "Shelbourne are a well-organised side with some good young players. They have been unlucky not to pick up more points in their games so far.
"The league is so tight and the players know you have to bring the right mentality into every game.
"We’re hoping for another big performance".
Russell’s sentiments are correct in that third-place Sligo would be overtaken by Shels, currently in eighth, if the home side take the three points.
The final game sees Dundalk travel to Cork for a 5pm kick-off in Turner’s Cross.
Stephen O’Donnell and Colin Healy were dejected by their losses on Friday, with a poor Lilywhite display and Cork shipping four in Inchicore.
These sides fought some epic tussles in title races in the previous decade, this game may be more of a war of attrition.
Robbie Benson is suspended for Dundalk, John Mountney and Louie Annesley are out and Cameron Elliott and Paul Doyle are doubtful. Patrick Hoban nearing a return after a hamstring injury.
Dundalk boss Stephen O’Donnell said: "It’s always a tough game at Turner’s Cross, no matter what Cork’s form is like, but it’s good to get back on the horse so quickly after a defeat. It would’ve been a sore one to sit on the Sligo result for a week so we have a good opportunity now on Monday to go down there and give a performance.
"We’ve had two setbacks in our last two games so this spell is a challenge for us all. When everything’s plain sailing, it’s easy to be a big personality and to play well or coach well and be full of beans but the real sign of any person is when they meet setbacks.
"We weren’t silly enough or naive enough to think we weren’t going to have setbacks but it’s how you react to it. That’s what makes you as a person and, in my mind, there’s no question how we’ll react to it."
