The final series of Premier Division matches begin tonight with the most intrigue around the race for Europe and the battle at the bottom of the table.
Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne will have a free weekend as their clash scheduled for tonight has been deferred to later in the season to allow them the best possible chance at reaching the outright Conference League.
With nine games to go, it looks like the league trophy will move from Drumcondra to Tallaght.
It's left to the chasing pack to scrap it out for the European spots.
Bohemians, Derry City and Shels exited the FAI Cup last week, increasing the pressure on their performances in the league.
But perhaps the most telling fixture of the evening comes at Sullivan & Lambe Park as two sides with momentum behind them clash in a six-pointer for a top three position.
Drogheda United host St Patrick’s Athletic in a potential make or break game for the Saints as the home side have a four-point advantage at the moment.
Victory for Kevin Doherty’s side would put huge pressure on Pat’s in the final eight matches of the year.
At Dalymount Park there is a clash affecting both ends of the table as an out of sorts Bohemians take on an improving Cork City side.
The Gypsies limped out of the FAI Cup and have seen their title hopes end.
Their sole focus is on booking a place in Europe. Alan Reynolds pulled no punches in saying how much they had let their fans down last week against Sligo Rovers.
They maintain an advantage on their rivals in trying to finish in the top three but Reynolds will certainly be worried.
He has tried to rally the troops: "We’ve had bumps on the road over the past month, we all know that, but we’ve got points in difficult venues like the Brandywell and Tolka Park to keep us ahead of the pack.
"It’s an incredibly tight league this season and we can’t lose sight of where we’ve come from to where we are today.
"The defeat to Drogheda in Dalymount was hard to take and there is nobody - staff or players - shirking responsibility for going out of the cup.
"We can’t afford to look back, we all have to look forward."
The game is also a test of the resurrection of Cork City. Home wins over Galway United and Waterford in the league and cup were welcome, as well as a solid defensive performance in Derry which yielded a point.
Time is running out for Cork and they have yet to win away from home this calendar year.
They’re seven points away from their nearest rival so they have to attack this evening.
Relegation rivals Waterford FC and Sligo Rovers will clash at the RSC.
The Blues were disappointing in exiting the cup last week, but they can almost guarantee their safety with victory here.
Sligo will come into the game filled with confidence after knocking Bohemians out of the cup. They enjoyed their best win of the season when hitting four goals against the Blues back in May, a game which led to the managerial change which saw John Coleman take over.
This game is likely to be a lot closer.
Bit O’ Red boss John Russell is encouraged by what he has seen from his players, particularly last week.
He said: "We'll take a lot of confidence from going to Bohs, the team sitting second in the league and beating them. It's vital we bring that momentum into this game at the RSC.
"Last week was a big confidence boost for the players. We have a lot of new lads here with the signings we made and they all looked very comfortable in their roles at Dalymount. That's testament to the new players and how well they have taken to their new surroundings. But it also shows how well our current crop has adjusted to the changes.
"It's a long trip down there but we've prepared well and have a plan so we're looking forward to it. We're going to have to be at the top of our game as Waterford will make it hard for us. They'll be wanting to pick up as many points as they can as quickly as they can and will see this game as ideal for putting further space between us and them."
John Caulfield and Tiernan Lynch will be feeling some pressure in the final match of the night as Galway United take on Derry City.
United have their own relegation fears, just four points ahead of Sligo in the play-off position, while some abject performances from Derry have seen them lose out in the Cup and fall back in the table.
A European finish would still be an acceptable season for Lynch in his first year in charge. He has to turn things around from their last few matches.
The Tribesmen enjoyed hitting the goal trail last week against Salthill Devon and will fancy ending a wait for a first league win since mid-June.
