Shamrock Rovers travel to face Dundalk at Oriel Park on Friday night in a key Premier Division fixture. The league leaders, who hold a six-point advantage at the summit, are looking to maintain their strong recent form against a side that has lost its last two matches.
Stephen Bradley's side sit first in the table with 68 points from 35 games, having scored 58 goals this season. They head to Louth on the back of a commanding 4-0 victory over Sligo Rovers last Friday, a result that featured a brace from Adam Brennan. That win was their fourth in the last five outings, a sequence that includes a 2-1 derby win over Bohemians, who are their closest challengers in the standings. Their record of 20 wins, eight draws and seven losses has them six points clear of Bohemians, with a goal difference of plus 23 after conceding 35 times.
Recent form and head-to-head
Shamrock Rovers' recent results show a team in confident mood. Following the 4-0 win against Sligo, their only recent setback was a 2-0 defeat away to Galway United on October 16. Prior to that, they secured home wins over Bohemians and Drogheda United. Dundalk, in contrast, have suffered consecutive losses, falling 2-1 to Derry City last time out and 2-1 to Bohemians earlier in October.
The head-to-head record this season is evenly split. Dundalk won 1-0 at Oriel Park in May, but Shamrock Rovers claimed a dramatic 3-2 victory when the sides last met at Tallaght Stadium on August 7. The fixture before that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Team news and lineups
Bradley is expected to select from a similar group to the one that started against Sligo Rovers. That lineup featured a 3-4-2-1 formation with McGinty in goal, a back three of Cleary, Pico and Grace, and wing-backs Clarke and Andy Lyons. The attacking midfield trio of Dylan Watts, Graham Burke and Aaron Greene supported striker Rory Gaffney, who is the club's top scorer this season with nine goals.
Dundalk manager Stephen O'Donnell deployed a 4-2-3-1 system in their last match, with Minogue in goal and a defence including Burns and Grivosti. Their attack is likely to be led by the experienced Patrick Hoban.
A positive result for Shamrock Rovers would keep them at the top with just a handful of games remaining in the regular season. The fixture at Oriel Park is scheduled for Friday, October 30, against a Dundalk side currently sitting seventh in the table.
