There's a full house of SSE Airtricity League Premier Division games tonight as Derry City and Bohemians look to stay on the heels of Shamrock Rovers, who have really found their groove.
St Pat's, Shelbourne and Sligo could all make some movement in a congested mid-table while at the botton, Drogheda United, Cork Coty and UCD all have tough assignments as they go on the hunt for precious points.
Cork City v Sligo Rovers, Turner's Cross, 7.45pm
Struggling Cork City welcome Sligo Rovers to Turner's Cross, hoping to claim only their third win of the season against a side that have hit a rocky patch of form recently.
Rovers come into the game on the back of two home defeats against Dundalk and Shelbourne while the hosts have lost their last six fixtures in the league, most recently a 2-1 defeat away to Dundalk last Friday night.
Former Bit O' Red Manager Liam Buckley is currently in interim charge of the Rebels after Colin Healy left the club recently.
If not for UCD propping up the bottom of the table, City would have bigger relegation worries than they currently do.
The defeat to Dundalk last time was particularly hard to swallow for the Rebels, as they gave away two goals in injury time and had two players sent off, throwing away what should have been a rare victory.
Team news
Cork City: Joshua Honohan and Cian Coleman will both be suspended after their red cards against Dundalk.
Sligo Rovers: Rovers have doubts over a number of players heading into the game with Gary Boylan (ACL), Garry Buckley (ACL), Conor Walsh (Ankle), Eanna Clancy (Hamstring) Mark Byrne (ACL) and Karl O' Sullivan (Ankle) definitely ruled out.
Striker Max Mata has returned to light training alongside defender James Finnerty while John Mahon, Fabrice Hartmann and Niall Morahan are also back in contention to return on Friday.
What they said
John Russell (Sligo Rovers manager): ''We know we need a big reaction after last weekend’s performance.
"We didn’t show enough energy, intensity or quality on the night. The players are eager to put that right on Friday night.
"Cork City were unlucky in their last game against Dundalk so we know we will need to be at our best to get a result down there."
Derry City v UCD, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, 7.45pm
Derry City welcome UCD to the Brandywell for a game that most observers will expect to see them win.
The Candystripes sit two points behind league leaders Shamrock Rovers and look to be the team most likely to mount title challenge against the Hoops.
Ruaidhri Higgins side have won five of their last six league games that has allowed them to keep pace with Rovers, while others have slipped away.
While Derry are the overwhelming favourites, Higgins has cautioned against taking the Students lightly and insists that his side will be at their best on Friday evening as they go in search of their third victory in the space of a week.
UCD remain rooted to the bottom of the table with just one win all season and come into the game off the back of a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to Shamrock Rovers.
Team news
Derry: Shane McEleney will get another couple of days recovery time after the central defender came off during Monday's impressive win against Dundalk.
Mark Connolly and Patrick McEleney are both nearing a return to action, however with a eight-day break until Derry’s next game in Sligo, they look likely to sit this one out.
What they said
Ruaidhri Higgins (Derry manager): "Everyone in the country expects us to win, but it doesn't work like that. UCD have taken points off Bohemians and Dundalk this season.
"We can’t turn our nose up at anyone at all and if we want to finish the week off properly it’s really important that we prepare correctly and come into the game fully focused."
Dundalk v Bohemians, Oriel Park, 7.45pm
Bohs have lost some momentum, and their place at the top of the table, after back-to-back defeats to Shamrock and Rovers and Derry City.
They're now third and travel to a Dundalk side that could move level on points with them if they pick up three points tonight.
After beating Cork City in euphoric fashion last week, the Lilywhites were brought crashing back down to earth with a bump on Monday as their six-game unbeaten run came to an end against the Candystripes at the Ryan McBride Brandywell.
Stephen O’Donnell’s men have been hit and miss, but they've a good home record against the Gypsies who have won just once at Oriel Park since 2017.
Team news
Dundalk: Darragh Leahy, who went off injured against Derry City on Monday night, and Rayhaan Tulloch, who missed the game at the Brandywell, will both be assessed before kick-off. Andy Boyle, Louie Annesley, Robbie Benson, Greg Sloggett and John Mountney are all still missing.
What they said
Stephen O’Donnell (Dundalk manager): "Bohs have had a really good start to the season and they’re very competitive, physical, very direct and play to their strengths. They have good players but it’s a game to look forward to."
Shelbourne v St Pat's Tolka Park, 7.45pm
Fifth plays sixth as Shelbourne welcome Dublin rivals St Patrick's Athletic to a sold-out Tolka Park.
With just one point separating the sides this is a game in which both sides will be desperate not to lose.
Hosts Shels come into the game off the back of a convincing 3-0 victory over Sligo Rovers and despite manager Damien Duff's efforts to continually insist that everyone is writing them off, the Reds have been very impressive this season.
Duff's efforts to create a bunker mentality at the club are bearing fruit and with European football firmly in their sights, a win here would be a big statement for Shels.
St Pat's meanwhile are looking to bounce back from their first defeat under interim manager Jon Daly, having beaten Cork City and Drogheda United in the previous two matches.
A late, late penalty denied St Pat's a point against Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght as the visitors were edged out 3-2 after fighting to get back in the game but, Daly will have taken heart from the manner of his side's performance.
What they said
Damien Duff (Shelbourne manager): "What I saw last weekend I was very happy with, but I still think we can and will improve. It was a really good performance, you could say clean and clinical and we want to see more of it. One stand out for us over last season, we grew and I felt we contstantly improved over the course of the campaign, and we're still seeing that this season."
John Daly (St Patrick's Athletic manager): "We beat Shelbourne 1-0 earlier in the season in a tight game and I think tomorrow could be a similar type of game. Shelbourne haven't conceded many goals, ten in total, six of those from set plays, one of them against us.
"It's important that we are secure at the back and that if we get opportunities we take them.
"Shelbourne have got some good players, they are a good side who work hard for each other, and have some good patterns in their play and they are a threat going forward with the likes of Moylan and Smith and Caffrey so we'll have to take care of that side of things first before we focus on the rest."
Shamrock Rovers v Drogheda United, 8pm
Shamrock Rovers have hit their stride after a slow start and are looking ominously strong again.
The Hoops have dropped just two points from their last ten league games and are already positioning themselves as the team to beat this season.
A 3-2 victory over Dublin rivals St Patrick's Athletic was the kind of game that Rovers were dropping points in earlier in the season and now that they've really started motoring, they're going to take some stopping.
The Drogs have proven to be something of a bogey side for the reigning champions; indeed, the last three meetings between the teams have ended 1-1. Kevin Doherty's men are stubborn and dogged, but they've only picked up two points from the least seven games and are goal shy.
What they said
Stephen Bradley (Shamrock Rovers manager): "They'll come with a game plan to make it difficult. We've got to respect that and be ready for that. Hopefully, we can have another big crowd again. You saw against Pat's how important they were for us, so we'll definitely need that again."
Team news
Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus and Dylan Watts remain out while Simon Power is another couple of weeks away from a return.
Watch the UEFA Under-17 European Championships with RTÉ Sport. Republic of Ireland v Wales on Saturday (3.30pm, RTÉ News Channel) and Republic of Ireland v Hungary on Tuesday (7pm RTÉ News Channel)
