Separated by just three points in the middle of the League of Ireland Premier Division table, Waterford United and Sligo Rovers will square off at Waterford Regional Sports Centre on Friday.
Thanks to back-to-back victories in their last two outings, the visitors have climbed up to sixth spot and within touching distance of their hosts, who sit fourth after a defeat last time out.
Match preview
Waterford United return to action on Friday aiming to narrow their gap to the League of Ireland Premier Division's top three, having suffered a setback last time out in what has been an impressive first half of the campaign on their return to the top flight.
After winning promotion through the League of Ireland first division playoffs last time around, the Blues have enjoyed a pleasing start to the 2024 term, currently sitting fourth having amassed 28 points from their first 19 outings, winning eight of those alongside seven defeats.
Indeed, five of those triumphs came in an eye-catching streak in a six-match span in May, beginning with a 1-0 triumph away at Friday's opponents, before bouncing back from the only loss in that run with another pair of wins on the bounce at home to Drogheda United and Bohemians.
Aiming to make it three wins in a row and six in seven attempts after the turn of the month, Keith Long's side most recently visited second-placed Derry City on Monday, but they came away empty-handed as Michael Duffy, Mark Connolly and Patrick Hoban scored inside the opening 30 minutes in a comfortable 3-0 home win.
Still with plenty of positives to take from their recent run, though, and the chance to narrow their gaps to third-placed Shamrock Rovers and second-placed Derry City with games in hand on both, Waterford United will set out to bounce back to winning ways on home turf on Friday.
Their visitors, meanwhile, travel to Waterford Regional Sports Centre aiming to avenge last month's defeat and move level on points with their hosts in what remains a tight league table.
Following their eighth-placed finish last year, Sligo Rovers endured another tough start to the new campaign in Ireland's top flight, picking up just 19 points and four wins from their first 17 outings, largely down to a dismal run between the beginning of April and late May in which a 10-match span produced just one victory alongside four draws and five defeats.
That slump did culminate in a creditable 2-2 draw away at Derry City last month, and the Bit O'Red appear to have built on that and turned a corner since, quickly climbing into mid-table with consecutive three-point hauls, firstly returning to winning ways with an impressive 2-1 victory over league leaders Shelbourne, with Fabrice Hartmann netting the decisive goal 21 minutes from time after Kailin Barlow's opener was cancelled out.
John Russell's side then hosted Drogheda United and again prevailed in a 2-1 win, as Connor Malley netted both of their goals in the first half before the Bit O'Red stood strong in the final 40 minutes after Jack Keaney pulled one for their visitors.
Thanks to their recent upturn in form, Sligo Rovers have quickly climbed to sixth spot in the top flight, and now trailing Galway United by just two points and Friday's hosts by three, they will look to crack the top half with a third straight triumph on Friday.
Team News
Keith Long may opt to make several changes to his Waterford United starting XI on Friday after Monday's 3-0 defeat, with Kacper Radkowski and Gbemi Arubi both pushing to come in from the outset after entering the fray at the interval in that game.
Veteran Padraig Amond is bound to again lead the line in their 4-3-3 shape, having notched up nine goals in 19 League of Ireland Premier Division games so far this term, while winger Maleace Asamoah, who has notched up six goals of his own, has missed their last two outings and may again be deemed unfit to feature.
Instead, Arubi and Christie Pattisson may flank Amond, while Ben McCormack, Niall O'Keeffe and Rowan McDonald will all fight to keep their places in the midfield.
Sligo Rovers could be unaltered from their victory over Drogheda United last time out, with John Wilson, Charlie Wiggett, Ollie Denham and Reece Hutchinson bound to continue in a back four.
After Max Mata's return to Shrewsbury Town from his loan spell in May, Kailin Barlow should continue to lead the attack with support from wingers Stefan Radosavljevic and Fabrice Hartmann, who has netted four league goals so far this season.
Ellis Chapman and Connor Malley will offer further attacking support from the centre, with the former also boasting four top-flight goals this term and the latter having scored a brace in Monday's 2-1 triumph.
Waterford United possible starting lineup:
Sargeant; Power, Horton, Radkowski, Burke; McDonald, O'Keeffe, McCormack; Arubi, Amond, Pattisson
Sligo Rovers possible starting lineup:
McGinty; Wilson, Wiggett, Denham, Hutchinson; Chapman, Malley, Morahan; Hartmann, Barlow, Radosavljevic
We say: Waterford United 1-1 Sligo Rovers
Friday's meeting promises to be an intriguing one between two teams enjoying improved runs in recent weeks, and we anticipate a tight encounter.
After the last meeting ended in a narrow away win for Friday's hosts, we see a share of the points as the most likely outcome at the Waterford Regional Sports Centre.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
