Aiming to record back-to-back wins for the first time since early April, St Patrick's Athletic will welcome relegation-threatened Dundalk to Richmond Park for a League of Ireland clash on Monday evening.
The Saints are growing in confidence under new management following a success over Galway United last time out, whilst the Lilywhites are hoping to build on the point collected against Derry City.
Match preview
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After failing to guide the Republic of Ireland to this summer's European Championships in Germany, Stephen Kenny left his post in charge of the national side and is now leading the troops at St Patrick's, with the 52-year-old's first quartet of fixtures yielding four points.
Ending a five-game winless run last time out, the Saints managed to secure a narrow 2-1 success over Galway at Richmond Park, where goals from 16-year-old midfielder Mason Melia and substitute Alex Nolan arrived either side of Francely Lomboto's equaliser for the visitors.
Owing to their FAI Cup victory in 2023 - the fifth in the club's history - St Patrick's will be plying their trade in the qualifying rounds of the Conference League later in the year, but Monday's hosts are currently well off the pace in 2024's race for Europe, with Kenny's side sitting seventh in the standings, 14 points behind league leaders Shelbourne.
The majority of the Saints' success this campaign has arrived at their Richmond Park base, where the hosts have collected 16 of their 23 League of Ireland points so far, with only one of their six wins being earned away from the passionate support of their home following.
Highlighting St Patrick's struggles in front of goal during 2024, centre-back Luke Turner is currently on level terms with teenage sensation Melia and Ruairi Keating in the race for the club's Golden Boot, with the trio bagging three league strikes each to date.
Dundalk's Jon Daly era began with a goalless draw at Oriel Park on Friday night, when both Ross Munro and Brian Maher managed to add to their clean-sheet tallies, sending the 2,400-strong crowd home wondering whether there could have been a better way to start their weekend.
That being said, the Lilywhites have remarkably now kept seven straight clean sheets in home League of Ireland matches, quite the record for a team who are at serious risk of being cut adrift at the foot of the top-tier standings.
Having won just one of their last six league fixtures, Dundalk are currently rock bottom of the League of Ireland table, two points behind ninth-placed Drogheda United and a sizeable nine points adrift of eighth-placed Sligo Rovers, who as it stands will retain their first-tier status in 2025.
Alongside fellow strugglers Drogheda, the Lilywhites are the only side in the division yet to taste success on their league travels in 2024, with Monday's visitors collecting just two points from nine matches away from Oriel Park to date.
Dundalk will be looking to end a five-game winless run against St Patrick's on Monday evening, although a repeat of the Lilywhites' most recent victory over the Saints is highly unlikely, with the division's bottom side winning 5-0 in a clash between the sides during March 2023.
Team News
Picking up a hamstring injury during the defeat to first-placed Shelbourne on May 20, Anthony Breslin is set to miss the clash with Dundalk on Monday.
The Saints are also expected to be without the services of Axel Sjoberg, with the right-back recovering from his own hamstring-related issue.
Joint-top goalscorer Keating is out due to concussion, meaning that Chris Forrester is set to start as the focal point of the hosts' attack once again.
Dundalk have announced the departure of goalkeeper George Shelvey in the build-up to this match, with the former Nottingham Forest man handed a 10-match ban for abuse towards a match official in early May.
The Lilywhites are short of options in the middle of the park due to the absence of Koen Oostenbrink, who is recovering from a knock sustained last month.
After another home clean sheet last time out, Dundalk should stick with a back three of Archie Davies, Andrew Boyle and Zak Johnson.
St Patrick's Athletic possible starting lineup:
Rogers; Turner, Keeley, McLaughlin, Redmond; B Kavanagh, Melia, Palmer, Lennon; C Kavanagh, Forrester
Dundalk possible starting lineup:
Munro; Bradshaw, Davies, Boyle, Johnson, Muller; Horgan, Doyle, Durrant; Gullan, Elliott
We say: St Patrick's Athletic 1-0 Dundalk
After getting off the mark in the St Patrick's hotseat last time out, Kenny will be confident of recording back-to-back home wins by beating a Dundalk side who are yet to earn three points on their travels.
The Lilywhites are set to be an improved force under Daly, but we cannot imagine the visitors earning anything on Monday night at Richmond Park.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
