Prediction: Derry City vs Shamrock Rovers

Prediction: Shamrock win

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: 888sport

The Euros may be over but in the League of Ireland, we’re getting to crunch time as the top tier of Irish football continues to throw out a parade of surprises. There’s still just under half of the season to go and it’s anyone’s ball game in the title race with Shamrock Rovers being one of the sides in the mix. This week, they’ll go head to head with Derry City as the rest of Europe prepares to get their new league campaigns underway next month.

Derry City

Derry are often viewed as a pretty hot and cold team and that’s highlighted in their midtable position at this stage of the season. They have impact players who can win them just about any game on any given day but within the context of the next couple of months, their best bet will be to steady the ship and perhaps secure a few more positive results. If they can do that, then kicking on to next season should be a more manageable task.

Shamrock Rovers

Shamrock were unable to overcome their first leg deficit against Slovan Bratislava and because of that, their Champions League journey has officially come to an end. The next task on the agenda, as the league leaders, is going to be keeping a firm grasp on top spot whilst simultaneously attempting to fend off the challenge of Sligo and St Patrick’s. That’ll be easier said than done, but they’ve definitely got the squad for it.

Factors to Consider

• Shamrock are top of the LOI with 38 points whereas Derry are in 6th with 25 points.
• Derry have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six games.
• Shamrock have won three, drawn one and lost two of their last six games.
• Derry have scored seven goals and conceded six in their last six games.
• Shamrock have scored 10 goals and conceded seven in their last six games.

Conclusion

Shamrock are hurting off the back of what happened in the Champions League but as a result of them winning the second leg, we’d actually argue they’ve got a fair bit of momentum behind them. Therefore, we think they’re really going to come firing out of the blocks here with the kind of performance that should put Derry to the sword. We’re predicting a 3-1 win for Shamrock and we wouldn’t be at all surprised if it goes deeper than that.

Prediction: Shamrock win

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: 888sport