In this post, you can find our League of Ireland tips and predictions along with our weekly acca ahead of the opening weekend of the LOI Premier Division season.
It’s that time of the week again! “The Greatest League in the World” is back to light up your Friday Nights and weekend! With 10 games remaining, there’s plenty left to play for in the respective title, European and relegation battles.
LOI Friday Night #23 Acca Selections
Drogheda vs Waterford - Drogheda @ 11/10
Derry City vs Cork City – Cork City +1 @ 2/1
Shelbourne vs Bohemians – Under 2.5 Total Goals – 4/6
Galway United vs Shamrock Rovers – Shamrock Rovers @ 4/5
St Patrick’s Athletic vs Sligo Rovers – Sligo Rovers Double Chance @ 7/4
An accumulator with these selections pays at approximately 50/1 with BoyleSports.
Drogheda vs Waterford– Friday 7.45 pm, LOI TV
Odds
Drogheda - 11/10
Waterford – 21/10
Draw – 23/10
Preview
Drogheda picked up a huge 0-1 away win over Bohemians at Dalymount last Friday, following a late 86th-minute winner from Josh Thomas. They continued their excellent season, going level on points with third-place Derry City and only one behind Bohemians in second spot. The nature of the victory may have prompted former Dundalk manager Vinny Perth to describe it as “puke football”, but at the end of the day, the sport is about winning football matches, and that’s exactly what Drogheda continue to do.
Waterford may have only taken 6 points from their last 5 league games, but due to the form of those around them, it means they’ve now leapfrogged Galway United into 7th place and are now in touching distance of St Patrick’s Athletic in 6th, though they did lose to them last Sunday 0-2. With 10 games remaining, it’s very hard to see them pulled into the relegation conversation if they can pick up a few more points, but then they may end up stuck in an irrelevant purgatory.
Prediction: Drogheda 1-0 Waterford
Drogheda have more to play for, and I think they’re comfortably a better side, so home advantage should swing it their way.
Best Bet: Drogheda @ 11/10
Derry City vs Cork City– Friday 7:45 pm, LOI TV
Odds
Derry City – 4/11
Cork City – 15/2
Draw – 10/3
Preview
Derry City are a difficult side to judge; they’ve continually invested and brought in high-quality footballers, but there is a constant case that they’re prioritising the wrong type of talent, generally favouring short-term signings and quick fixes rather than building a team with young players. They finished last season 8 points behind league winners Shelbourne, and with 10 games remaining, they’re currently 11 points behind runaway leaders Shamrock Rovers. There are question marks about how the club continues to conduct their transfer business.
Cork City picked up a 1-0 win over Galway United last weekend, which puts the club 8 points behind Sligo Rovers in 9th and 11 points behind Galway with 10 games remaining in the season. Thus, they have the faintest of chances of dragging themselves out of the automatic relegation spot, though they will need to continue to pick up points relative to those above them to stand any chance of survival. However, Cork City supporters will gain some solace in the commitment levels and effort shown by 1-11 last weekend.
Prediction: Derry City 1-2 Cork City
Derry City, in terms of quality and investment, should win this game more often than not, but I think they’re mentally fragile, and I think Cork City could earn a shock result, building on their momentum from last weekend.
Best Bet: Cork City +1 – 2/1
Shelbourne vs Bohemians – Saturday 5 pm, LOI TV
Odds
Shelbourne– 2/1
Bohemians – 13/10
Draw – 2/1
Preview
Joey O’Brien has been backed considerably by Shelbourne during the Summer Transfer Window following the signings of Jack Henry-Francis, Sean Moore, Milan Mbeng and Wessel Speel. With the defending champions in 5th and 3 back of Drogheda in 4th, it’ll be interesting to see how they balance both their League, Cup and European Commitments for the end of the season and how much they rotate between weeks.
Bohemians were dominant last weekend against Drogheda with more shots, shots on target, possession, passes and corners, but lost out in the only stat that matters when Josh Thomas broke away in the 86th minute to give them a 0-1 defeat. Though it’s been a positive season for the Gypsies that defeat means a title challenge is borderline gone, and efforts will be focused on securing European Football for next season.
Prediction: Shelbourne 1-1 Bohemians
Shelbourne will be coming off a tie in Europe, and though they’ve done well in the league, it’ll be interesting to see how the squad manages competing in the league and Europe, especially as they gear toward the crucial qualifying rounds.
Best Bet: Under 2.5 Total Goals – 4/6
Galway United vs Shamrock Rovers– Saturday 5 pm, LOI TV
Odds
Galway United - 3/1
Shamrock Rovers – 4/5
Draw – 5/2
Preview
Galway United are in freefall, and their 1-0 defeat to Cork City last weekend made it 4 consecutive defeats in the Premier Division. What looked like a club primed to challenge for a European Place this season now find themselves back embedded in the relegation conversation with local rivals Sligo Rovers now only 3 points behind them to get out of the relegation/playoff places.
Shamrock Rovers look to be the Champions elect already, given they lead the Premier Division by 10 points ahead of closest challengers Bohemians, with only 10 league games remaining. Their 2-0 win over a full-strength Derry City side on Sunday showcased their strength-in-depth, where they were still able to name Aaron Greene and Gary O’Neill as unused substitutes on the bench talent that would start with most other sides in the league.
Prediction: Galway United 0-2 Shamrock Rovers
Two sides on entirely different trajectories, I can’t see past anything but a comfortable away victory on Saturday.
Best Bet: Shamrock Rovers – 4/5
St Patrick’s Athletic vs Sligo Rovers– Sunday 6 pm, LOI TV
Odds
St Patrick’s Athletic - 2/5
Sligo Rovers – 11/2
Draw – 10/3
Preview
In advance of this Sunday Game, St Patrick’s Athletic will have a massive first leg tie against Besiktas at home in Richmond Park on Thursday Night. In a similar story to last season, though Europe has been the catalyst for a slight uptake in their Premier Division form, going unbeaten in their last three games, accumulating 5 points, including 3 from a 0-2 win over Waterford last weekend. Whether tired legs become a factor at the weekend remains to be seen following what's expected to be a tough test against Besiktas.
Sligo Rovers' recent uptick in form has seen them climb from the bottom of the Premier Division up to 9th place and now well within a chance of avoiding even a relegation/playoff given they’re 3 points back of Connacht rivals Galway United, who are in poor form. However, their 0-2 defeat to Shelbourne last Saturday shows that there is still work to be done if they’re to safely get themselves out of trouble. Though the performances of their recent signings, especially Patrick McClean, will give supporters of the Bit O’Red hope.
Prediction: St Patrick’s Athletic 1-1 Sligo Rovers
Pats are inconsistent, and Sligo Rovers have picked up their form in recent weeks, so given the home side's European Exploits, I can see the away side picking up some sort of result.
Best Bet: Sligo Rovers Double Chance – 7/4
*Prices are subject to fluctuation
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