Reigning League of Ireland Premier Division champions Shamrock Rovers continue the defence of their crown with a trip to Sligo Rovers on Monday evening.
The teams reconvene at The Showgrounds on the back of contrasting results on Friday, as John Russell's men were seen off 2-0 by Bohemians, while the visitors beat Dundalk by the same scoreline.
Match preview
Consistently challenging for podium finishes in the past three seasons, Sligo Rovers are already facing an uphill battle to enter the continental conversation amid a barren run of form in front of goal, which continued during their trip to Dalymount Park on Friday.
Goals in either half from James Clarke and Declan McDaid inflicted a fourth defeat from five games on Russell's men, who have failed to score in all of those losses and only have a 1-0 home win over second-placed Derry City - as impressive as that was - to shout about in that sequence.
With only one goal scored and three points taken from their last 450 minutes of top-flight football, Sligo Rovers are languishing in seventh in the league standings with just 22 points from 18 games, four clear of Cork City in the relegation playoff place and 11 adrift of the top three.
A plethora of fitness problems have hardly helped matters for the Bit O'Red, who have a mere three home wins to their name so far this season, but their most recent one versus Derry City was accompanied by their sole clean sheet at The Showgrounds this season - such defensive nous will be required in abundance to keep the champions at bay.
The month of May has not been very merry for Shamrock Rovers either, as the reigning Irish champions entered Friday's contest with Dundalk on the back of successive defeats to Drogheda United and Cork City, opening the door for Derry, St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians to upset the apple cart.
However, Stephen Bradley's men reverted to type when Dundalk came to town - in spite of Ronan Finn's sending off just four minutes after the restart - as a pair of goals from Aaron Greene either side of the break snapped the champions' brief losing run in style.
With 36 points gleaned from their 19 matches so far, Shamrock Rovers are sitting pretty at the summit, but their position is far from insurmountable, as Derry City have just a one-point gap to make up to the champions, while Bohemians are three points worse off.
Cork subjected Shamrock Rovers to their first away defeat of the season on May 26, prior to which Bradley's side had won five on the bounce on their travels - scoring at least two goals each time and keeping five clean sheets in tow - and a mere three away goals conceded is unsurprisingly the best defensive record in the Premier Division so far this season.
Furthermore, Shamrock have strung together an eight-game unbeaten run against Sligo Rovers since a 1-0 loss in May 2021 - drawing 1-1 at The Showgrounds in February before a 2-1 home win back in April - and even the most bullish Bit O'Red supporters may not expect miracles from their ravaged and shot-shy squad on Monday night.
Team News
As if Russell did not have enough fitness issues to worry about, the Sligo Rovers boss lost midfielder Greg Bolger and centre-back Eanna Clancy - both of whom passed late tests to make themselves available - to first-half injuries on Friday night, although the severity of their problems is currently unclear.
The hosts' unsightly injury list also features Garry Buckley (ACL), Mark Byrne (ACL), Gary Boylan (ACL), Karl O' Sullivan (ankle), James Finnerty (Achilles), Fabrice Hartmann, Nando Pijnaker and Conor Walsh (ankle), but the return of John Mahon from suspension will allow Russell to breathe a small sigh of relief.
Mahon will no doubt come straight back into the hosts' defensive line as their only recognised centre-half, most likely with full-backs Reece Hutchinson and Johan Brannefalk accompanying him.
While Sligo Rovers will welcome a defender back from suspension, Shamrock Rovers have now lost captain Finn to a ban after his straight red card in their win over Dundalk, so Sean Gannon ought to line up on the right-hand side of the champions' 3-5-2 setup.
Finn's sending off came only a few days after midfielder Richie Towell was sent for an early bath in their defeat to Cork City for violent conduct, and he will serve the second of his three-game ban on Monday after failing with an appeal.
Alan Mannus should be the visitors' only injury-related absentee as the 41-year-old goalkeeper recovers from a damaged finger, leaving Bradley with plenty of options for change, and he may consider a recall for Graham Burke in the final third over Rory Gaffney given the quick turnaround time.
Sligo Rovers possible starting lineup:
McNicholas; Brannefalk, Mahon, Hutchinson; Liivak, Morahan, Cawley, Lagerfeldt, Lafferty; Fitzgerald, Mata
Shamrock Rovers possible starting lineup:
Pohls; Lopes, Cleary, Grace; Gannon, Poom, O'Neill, Byrne, Kavanagh; Greene, Burke
We say: Sligo Rovers 0-2 Shamrock Rovers
Lacking a recipe for attacking success and constantly welcoming more and more players into their overcrowded medical room, the stage is set for another miserable Sligo Rovers outing this weekend, in spite of their recent shock win over Derry City in front of their own fans.
Shamrock Rovers' own reverse at the hands of Cork City may raise a few eyebrows too, but Bradley's side have otherwise been a tough nut to crack on the road and should continue their bid for a fourth successive title with a routine victory.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
