In this post, you can find our League of Ireland tips and predictions along with our weekly acca ahead of the third weekend of the LOI Premier Division season.
It’s that time of the year again! “The Greatest League in the World” is back to light up your weekends!
Last Friday Night, the story of the night came from Dublin , where St Patrick’s Athletic came out the right side of a 2-3 thriller with Shelbourne , while Shamrock Rovers were dominant in a 1-0 victory over Derry City. Bohemians continued their exceptional start with a 0-1 over Waterford , and the sole draw was a high-scoring 2-2 between Galway United and Dundalk.
Elsewhere, Sligo Rovers on Saturday picked up what could be a momentum-changing 2-1 win over Drogheda and Shelbourne , and Shamrock Rovers played out a 2-2 draw on Monday Night.
In 2026? Expect. The. Unexpected.
LOI Acca Selections
LOI Friday Night #6 Acca Selections
Sligo Rovers vs Shamrock Rovers – Shamrock Rovers @ 8/13
Derry City vs Shelbourne – Derry City @ 23/20
Bohemians vs Galway United – Under 2.5 Goals @ 4/5
St. Patrick’s Athletic vs Drogheda – St Patrick’s Athletic @ 6/10
Dundalk vs Waterford - Dundalk To Go 1 Goal Ahead ‘ 4/9
An accumulator with these selections pays at approximately 13/1 with BoyleSports.
Sligo Rovers vs Shamrock Rovers
Sligo Rovers vs Shamrock Rovers– Saturday 7:45 pm, Virgin Media 2
Odds
Sligo Rovers – 15/4
Shamrock Rovers – 8/13
Draw – 11/4
Preview
Has the momentum changed for the Bit O’Red ? Following a drab start to the season, it seemed that John Russell’s squad were in trouble in the early days, but their 2-1 victory over Drogheda last weekend was finally the standard expected of both the fans and management. Though this is a tough task, they have a strong home record, recently against Shamrock Rovers , unbeaten in their last four with two wins and two draws.
Shamrock Rovers bounced back from their Dublin Derby defeat the previous weekend to put in a convincing display in a 1-0 victory over Derry before battling back to a 2-2 draw with Shelbourne on Monday Night. The club are notoriously slow starters, and though their quality can’t be questioned, I do think there remains one or two question marks if their squad changes will click in line with their perceived potential.
Prediction: Sligo Rovers 1-2 Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers have struggled away to Sligo Rovers recently, so I’m not expecting an easy game, but I see their quality shining through in the end.
Best Bet: Shamrock Rovers @ 8/13
Derry City vs Shelbourne
Derry City vs Shelbourne – Friday 7:45 pm, LOI TV
Odds
Derry City – 21/20
Shelbourne – 21/10
Draw – 21/10
Preview
Derry City are in an interesting state of affairs, where they’re a couple of wins from being in a good place and a couple of defeats away from huge question marks about the long-term prospects of Tiernan Lynch . Though they only lost 1-0 away to Shamrock Rovers last weekend after an 81st-minute penalty from Dylan Watts, they were dominated throughout and would’ve been fortunate to earn a point. That result won’t define them, though, as the most difficult in the Premier Division , and it’s still early days in the 2026 season.
There’s still something quite not right at Shelbourne football club. However, their double-header Dublin Derbies last weekend, where they lost 2-3 to St Patrick’s Athletic and squandered a 2-0 lead on Monday Night to draw 2-2 with Shamrock Rovers , creates more questions than answers. They retain plenty of quality, though, and Joey O’Brien did an exceptional job last season, so it may be too early for the alarm bells to ring quite as loud.
Prediction: Derry City 1-0 Shelbourne
El Sackico ? Maybe not quite yet, but both are badly in need of earning points. Two sides who should be evenly matched, but I can see home advantage swinging it just in Derry City’s favour.
Best Bet: Derry City @ 23/20
Bohemians vs Galway United
Bohemians vs Galway United – Friday 7:45 pm, LOI TV
Odds
Bohemians – 6/10
Galway United – 9/2
Draw – 13/5
Preview
Following their 0-1 win over Waterford last weekend, Bohemian FC remain the sole unbeaten side in the Premier Division with 5/36 weeks of the league season complete. A club that is almost universally seen as a marketing behemoth can also be criticised for maybe neglecting the actual playing side of things, having gone without a league title since the 2009 season, and their last “major” trophy being a Setanta Sports Cup in 2010. It’s far too early to announce them as title contenders, but there is certainly a lot of quality in their squad.
Galway United were many people’s predicted side to finish bottom of the Premier Division in 2026 (including this author). But five games into the season and the regudded resilance of John Caulfield’s team is still unquestionably there. Their 2-2 draw with Dundalk at Eamonn Deacy Park made it five points from their opening five games, and though I think, as the weather improves, their results may also take a literal dampener. As of now, they remain a hard game for everyone.
Prediction: Bohemians 2-0 Galway United
Bohemians may be flying, but Galway United remain tough to beat every single week. I can see the home side getting the job done, but I’m not expecting many goals.
Best Bet: Under 2.5 Goals @ 4/5
St Patrick’s Athletic vs Drogheda
St Patrick’s Athletic vs Drogheda – Friday 7:45 pm, LOI TV
Odds
St Patrick’s Athletic – 6/10
Drogheda – 9/2
Draw – 13/5
Preview
Stephen Kenny’s squad have quietly gone about their business after a slow start to their season, three consecutive league wins has them well in the early mix at the top of the table. While the mentality/resilience of this Pats’ side has long been a talking point among the masses, their 2-3 win over Shelbourne last weekend, where they went ahead, squandered a lead and came back again to win, suggests that this may be a growing strength for the team after an off-season where a few subtle key changes were made.
If you had offered Kevin Doherty seven points from their opening five league games, I believe he would’ve taken it happily. However, in the last couple of weeks, the narrative has flipped a little bit with back-to-back defeats, first 1-2 to Shelbourne and last weekend by the same scoreline, 2-1 away to Sligo Rovers . You get the sense that off-the-field “controversies”, both manufactured and real, have harmed their chances. But that being said, bouncing back on a canter is a system they’ve made a habit of in recent seasons.
Prediction: St Patrick’s Athletic 2-1 Drogheda
One of the hardest games of the weekend to predict, two sides in opposing form, but in their last four head-to-head games, there’s been three 0-0 draws and a narrow 0-1 win for Pats . I think the home side may just do enough.
Best Bet: St Patrick’s Athletic @ 6/10
Dundalk vs Waterford
Dundalk vs Waterford – Friday 8 pm, LOI TV
Odds
Dundalk – 20/23
Waterford – 5/2
Draw – 5/2
Preview
Dundalk battled to a 2-2 draw away to Galway United last weekend. After taking the lead through Arubi in the 12th minute, they were pegged back and subsequently went behind in the 61st minute following the second in a brace of goals from an ageless Stephen Walsh . Bobby Burns came back, though, to equalise in the 81st minute, and it means the club have accumulated a solid albeit unspectacular four points from their opening five games. I think there needs to be more to collectively come from the squad, though, with Daryl Horgan , Bobby Burns and Eoin Kenny doing the heavy lifting.
Waterford sit at the bottom of the Premier Division with only two points earned from their first five fixtures. Though it’s very early days, there’s starting to be echoes of pressure on Jon Daly , and a negative result here will only amplify those calls further. The issue with Waterford is not necessarily the quality in the squad because there is plenty, it’s the fact that they haven’t yet struck the correct balance in their starting side to maximise results, contrary to Galway United .
Prediction: Dundalk 1-0 Waterford
Two sides who will likely be fighting it out to avoid relegation come the end of the season, I fancy Dundalk to lead at some point, though I’m not completely convinced they can keep leads.
Best Bet: Dundalk To Go 1 Goal Ahead ‘ 4/9
Prices are subject to fluctuation
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