Dundalk will be looking to keep themselves in the Ireland Premier title race on Friday when they make a trip to Richmond Park to take on St Patrick’s Athletic.
Meanwhile, the hosts have a chance to close the gap on their opponents as their is only six points separating them in the table.
Following two consecutive matches without a win, St Patrick’s Athletic managed to turn their fortunes at the weekend during their most recent game against Drogheda United.
Goals from Billy King, Eoin Doyle and Mark Doyle proved enough to secure the result, which left Tim Clancy’s side in contention for a top-three finish this season.
St Patrick’s Athletic are currently sitting fourth in the table, but there is just five points between them and Derry City, which is a gap they will be looking to reduce this week.
The Saints have not played since July 1, which should have provided them with plenty of time in order to recover and get themselves prepared for this contest.
They will be aware of the fact that when they last met Dundalk, they suffered a 1-0 defeat as Daniel Kelly scored the only goal of the game in the first half.
Meanwhile, Dundalk will be looking to immediately rebound on Friday after their 11-game unbeaten streak was ended in their most recent match against Drogheda United.
Dundalk had previously been on a spectacular run, which was made even more impressive by the fact that they kept five clean sheets in the six matches that led up to their recent defeat. Only league leaders Shamrock Rovers have conceded fewer goals than them this season.
There is a 10-point difference between the two sides in the table, but with Dundalk boasting a game in hand, they will still believe they have what it takes to close the gap.
St Patrick’s Athletic vs Dundalk head to head
The two teams have previously met on 76 occasions across all competitions, where Athletic have claimed 34 victories while Dundalk have won 28, and they have drawn in 14. Dundalk have scored 98 goals and conceded 94. In their last five meetings, Dundalk have won one, Athletic three win one draw.
Dundalk 1-4 St Patrick’s Athletic 08/08/21
St Patrick’s Athletic 3-1 Dundalk 22/10/21
St Patrick’s Athletic 1-0 Dundalk 25/10/21
St Patrick’s Athletic 0-0 Dundalk 08/04/22
Dundalk 1-0 St Patrick’s Athletic 27/05/22
St Patrick’s Athletic latest home form
St Patrick’s have recently been on a relatively good run of form at home, having lost just two of their five most recent matches. They defeated Drogheda United 3-0 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored 10 goals and conceded five.
St Patrick’s Athletic 1-2 Shelbourne 20/05/22
St Patrick’s Athletic 3-0 Bohemians 23/05/22
St Patrick’s Athletic 2-1 UCD 17/06/22
St Patrick’s Athletic 1-2 Shamrock Rovers 27/06/22
St Patrick’s Athletic 3-0 Drogheda United 01/07/22
St Patrick’s Athletic latest away form
St Patrick’s have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just one of their five most recent matches. They drew 1-1 with Finn Harps in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored seven goals and conceded four.
Drogheda United 0-4 St Patrick’s Athletic 06/05/22
Derry City 0-0 St Patrick’s Athletic 09/05/22
Sligo Rovers 1-1 St Patrick’s Atheltic 14/05/22
Dundalk 1-0 St Patrick’s Athletic 27/05/22
Finn Harps 2-2 St Patrick’s Athletic 24/06/22
Dundalk latest home form
Dundalk have recently been on a good run of form at home, as they have won each of their nine most recent matches. They defeated University College Dublin 3-0 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored 10 goals and conceded two.
Dundalk 3-1 Bohemians 13/05/22
Dundalk 1-0 St Patrick’s Athletic 27/05/22
Dundalk 1-0 Shamrock Rovers 17/06/22
Dundalk 2-1 Larne 18/06/22
Dundalk 3-0 UCD 01/07/22
Dundalk latest away form
Dundalk were beaten 1-0 by Drogheda United in their last home game in the league. However, they have recently been on a good run of form on the road, having been unbeaten in their previous four matches. In their last five matches, they have scored five goals and conceded four.
UCD 2-2 Dundalk 06/05/22
Derry City 1-2 Dundalk 20/05/22
Finn Harps 0-1 Dundalk 23/05/22
Shelbourne 0-0 Dundalk 24/06/22
Drogheda United 1-0 Dundalk 08/07/22
St Patrick’s Athletic news
Following a lengthy break for the hosts, they should be able to provide a full-strength squad that have got plenty of fitness in order to be ready for this game.
Jack Scott retained his spot in the back four during their most recent match, in which they kept a clean sheet.
Dundalk news
Patrick Hoban managed to return from injury during their most recent match from the bench, and after more training sessions there is a chance he could be ready to start here.
Kieth Ward is another option for Dundalk in this game having proven himself to be an attaking threat of late.
Prediction and Odds
The hosts have been one of the strongest teams in the division this season, but this fixture could prove to be tough for them.
Dundalk will be looking to immediately get back to winning ways, and considering how impressive they have been defensively this season, it could be something that they could achieve.
Odds: 1 2.88 X 2.05 2 2.15
Probable outcomes
St Patrick’s Athletic 0-1 Dundalk
St Patrick’s Athletic 0-2 Dundalk
St Patrick’s Athletic 1-2 Dundalk
St Patrick’s Athletic 0-0 Dundalk
St Patrick’s Athletic 1-1 Dundalk
