St Patrick’s Athletic 1/2 to beat Waterford in Friday’s Irish Premier Division matchup

Competition: Irish Premier Division

Market: St Patrick’s Athletic win

Odds: 1/2 @ 888sport

Two sides who find themselves firmly battling it out at the foot of the Premier Division table, St Patrick’s Athletic will travel to the Waterford Regional Sports Centre on Friday night.

Starting with the hosts, while Waterford might have once again failed to impress last time out, they did pick up what was a much-needed win in what was a real six-pointer. Eventually snatching a 2-1 win against rock-bottom Longford Town, The Blues still find themselves firmly at the heart of another relegation battle. Opening up this weekend’s fixtures still sat seven points adrift of Premier Division safety, Marc Bircham’s men have only continued to show a host of issues this season. Despite landing that shock 3-1 win against former champions Dundalk earlier in the month, Waterford have collected just six points from their last 10 top-flight matchups. Facing what should be another stern test on Friday, the hosts also hold a torrid record at the Waterford Regional Sports Centre. Remarkably, Bircham’s side have lost each of their last five straight matchups on home soil.

As for the visitors, while Waterford might find themselves battling it out at the foot of the table, St Patrick’s Athletic have transformed into a real title contender. Putting in what was another rampant display earlier in the week and laying down another marker, The Saints landed a thumping 4-1 win against Finn Harps on home soil and the mood in their camp should be at a red-hot high. Opening up this weekend’s fixtures with their noses ahead of defending champions Shamrock Rovers, Head Coach Alan Mathews finds his squad enjoying a three-match Premier Division winning run. Bagging nine strikes on their free-scoring run, the guests should also be boosted by their most recent meeting against the relegation scrappers. Landing themselves 1-0 win when the two sides faced off back in April, we’re backing a similar away victory here.

Bet: St Patrick’s Athletic 1/2 to beat Waterford in Friday’s Irish Premier Division matchup @ 888sport