Shamrock Rovers could seal a fourth SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division title in a row on Friday.
Victory for the Hoops over second-placed St Patrick's Athletic would take them an insurmountable six points clear of the Saints who would only have one fixture remaining.
However, a win for Pat's would leave both Dublin rivals level on points, albeit with the Hoops having a game in hand, an easier run-in on paper, as well as a sizeable goal difference advantage.
The 8pm kick-off at Richmond Park will be live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player and even if the league title proves to be a bridge too far, it is an important opportunity for St Pat's to lay down a marker for the future according to ex-Saints and Republic of Ireland midfielder Keith Treacy.
"The remit at the start of the season was to go and get European football. They've secured that now with two games to go which is really, really good from them," he told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast.
"They're in the FAI Cup final which is a huge bonus so it's been a successful season. Obviously, it's nowhere near over and you want to get some silverware and they could still finish first in the league.
"I know it's a huge stretch of the imagination but mathematically it's still possible. So to still be fighting on the league front, to be in the FAI Cup final, I think they've far outweighed the expectations that even the biggest Pat's fan might have had because this Rovers team are so, so good.
"So looking forward to this weekend, I imagine that Pat's will play with an open and expansive style of football as they usually do. I wouldn't say it's a free hit because you'll still be looking at next season."
He added: "I think we'll get a great game of football. Rovers will play the game and think, 'Let's go and show Pat's that there is a gulf here'.
"And Pat's will be weighing Rovers up for next season and thinking, 'Let's see if we can actually mount a title chase next season'.
"And of course, Jon Daly said it, footballers can get flustered very easily if they start thinking about too many things.
"Just take it game by game, secure second spot in the league and go and win the FAI Cup. They can't do all of that on Friday, they can only win the next game.
"So go and beat Shamrock Rovers and put a marker down for next season."
Treacy also feels a young Pat's outfit can learn from the way Rovers have navigated recent seasons.
"Pat's have lost ten games of football this season. That's too many. If you want to win the league, that's too many games of football to lose," he said.
"So the first thing Pat's need to do is become an awful lot harder to beat. I mean, Shelbourne have only lost six games of football.
"The first thing they need to do is start drawing games that they should be losing. People say this about champions, about Shamrock Rovers I've said it a million times - they drew that game they should have lost or they won that game they should have drawn.
"Champions do that. They just get over the line when they shouldn't and Pat's this season they've been really good."
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Watch Republic of Ireland v Albania in UEFA Nations League on Friday from 5.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live radio commentary on 2fm's Game On from 5.40pm
Watch St Patrick's Athletic v Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland on Friday on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 7.45pm, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app
