Who can make it to the next round of Europe? We have three Clubs remaining in European action with Derry City in the strongest position to advance to the Third Qualifying Round of the UEFA Europa Conference League after their massive win over KuPS.
Who can make it to the next round of Europe?
We have three Clubs remaining in European action with Derry City in the strongest position to advance to the Third Qualifying Round of the UEFA Europa Conference League after their massive win over KuPS on Thursday night.
The Ryan McBride Brandywell was deafening when Cian Kavanagh sent home Michael Duffy’s cross to put The Candystripes 2-1 ahead in the tie.
They travel to Finland this Thursday, however, knowing that they will need another memorable performance to set up a tie against FC Basel or Tobol Kostanay.
Shamrock Rovers face the hardest task after they lost 4-0 on Thursday night in Budapest to a strong Ferencvaros side but Dundalk still harbour hopes after they fell to a 3-1 defeat in Iceland against KA.
Dundalk will have left Iceland knowing they left chances behind them but a night in Oriel could make all the difference as they look to claw the advantage back.
It’s another big night of European action ahead with Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk’s matches live on LOITV while Derry City’s clash is available through their platforms.
Who can chase down Shamrock Rovers as the title race resumes?
St Patrick’s Athletic have had an unwanted week off due to an early European exit but they come back into action on Friday night with a TV date with Sligo Rovers just four points behind leaders Shamrock Rovers.
As Derry City face UCD, both sides will be hoping to put more pressure on Shamrock Rovers with the business end of the season in sight.
With the Saints playing on Friday night ahead of the leaders who play on Sunday, there’s an opportunity to close the gap to just one point - at least momentarily to put a new pressure on Rovers ahead of their Sunday clash with Cork City.
Meanwhile, Bohemians also have an opportunity to reduce the gap to just two points themselves when they host Drogheda United.
Bohs’ home form has been excellent recently and with Jonathan Afolabi hitting new heights, you’d be foolish to rule them out from having a major say in the run-in.
Can Shels set up a European chase on Sunday?
After a big win in Cork last Friday, Shelbourne travel to Dundalk on Sunday with just one point separating the two teams and Damien Duff will know the impact that a win could have for their season.
Dundalk will be buoyed no doubt by the arrival of Daryl Horgan and Sam Durrant with Horgan’s arrival giving the whole town a new lease of life ahead of their European clash on Thursday.
A win on Thursday could add extra momentum to the Dundalk side already in good form but equally they could carry fatigue into what is a massive clash in the context of the European places next year.
With Shels out of the Cup at the first time of asking, Sunday represents a huge game for the remainder of their season as they look for a long awaited return to the continent.
They’ll need new arrivals Harry Wood and Will Jarvis to impact straight away while hoping for the return of injured players like Matty Smith and Shane Griffin to provide an extra boost if fit and available.
Who can claim the all important Play-Off places?
With just six points separating fourth from eight, five Clubs are in serious contention for two Play-Off spots with Cobh Ramblers also hoping this weekend will help them take a major step into securing their spot after a fine season.
Cobh welcome Wexford while Bray Wanderers hosting Athlone Town with none of the Clubs wanted to seize ground in the run-in.
Treaty United, with a game in hand, face Longford Town who can jump above them into eight, but a win for the Limerick side would put them right in the mix with other Clubs playing each other and Finn Harps hosting Galway United.
Harps have enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance and if they can pull off a shock on Friday night we could be set for the most exciting of climaxes in the promotion hunt.
Monday also sees a full round off fixtures in the SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division with Wexford hosting Waterford in the pick of the ties but we’ll most likely know who will be the strongest contenders after this weekend’s fixtures for the four Play-Off spots.
This weekend's games are available on FAI Connect on the App Store or Google Play now.
