Shamrock Rovers vs Derry City prediction, preview, team news and more

The League of Ireland is back with another set of important matches this weekend as Shamrock Rovers take on Derry City on Friday. Both teams have been impressive this season and will want to win this game.

Derry City are in fourth place in the Premier Division at the moment and have exceeded expectations this season. The away side eased past Longford Town by a 3-0 margin last week and will be confident ahead of this match.

Shamrock Rovers, on the other hand, are at the top of the league table and have excelled this year. The Hoops edged St Patrick's Athletic to a narrow 1-0 victory in their previous game and will want to be at their best in this fixture.

Shamrock Rovers vs Derry City Head-to-Head

Shamrock Rovers have a good record against Derry City and have won 27 out of 67 matches played between the two teams. Derry City have managed only 19 victories against Shamrock Rovers and will need to improve their record on Friday.

The previous meeting between the two teams took place in July this year and ended in a 4-2 victory for Shamrock Rovers. Derry City were not at their best on the day and will need to be more robust this weekend.

Shamrock Rovers form guide in the League of Ireland Premier Division: W-W-W-L-W

Derry City form guide in the League of Ireland Premier Division: W-D-D-W-W

Shamrock Rovers vs Derry City Team News

Shamrock Rovers

Lee Grace and Neil Farrugia have recovered from their injuries and are available for selection. Shamrock Rovers have a fully-fit squad and will need to field a strong team this weekend.

Injured: None

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Derry City

Marc Walsh is injured at the moment and will be unable to play a part against Shamrock Rovers this weekend. Derry City have a strong team and have a point to prove on Friday.

Injured: Marc Walsh

Doubtful: None

Suspended: None

Shamrock Rovers vs Derry City Predicted XI

Shamrock Rovers Predicted XI (4-4-2): Alan Mannus; Max Murphy, Lee Grace, Sean Gannon, Sean Hoare; Richie Towell, Gary O’Neill, Graham Burke, Dylan Watts; Rory Gaffney, Aaron Greene

Derry City Predicted XI (4-3-3): Nathan James Gartside; Daniel Lafferty, Eoin Toal, Cameron McJannet, Ronan Boyce; Ciaron Harkin, Bastien Hery, William Fitzgerald; James Akintunde, Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe, Jamie McGonigle

Shamrock Rovers vs Derry City Prediction

Shamrock Rovers are in good form at the moment and are the frontrunners to win the league title. The Hoops have been impressive in their last three games and will want to make a statement of intent this weekend.

Derry City have punched above their weight and are perfectly capable of pulling off an upset on their day. Shamrock Rovers are the better team on paper, however, and hold a slight edge going into this game.

Prediction: Shamrock Rovers 2-1 Derry City

About the author

Aditya is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda, covering previews, news, post-match articles and live blogs for 5 years. During his time here, he has had the privilege of covering a press meeting during the collaboration between his favorite club Bengaluru FC and Sevilla, where he got a chance to interact with Sevilla president Jose Castro and explore the grassroots development in his city.

Aditya started following the sport after being dazzled by Ronaldinho’s silky feet at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He is a Barcelona fan and unsurprisingly, his favorite manager and players are Pep Guardiola and Andres Iniesta respectively. He admires the latter for his superhuman talent and his off-pitch demeanor, and his winning goal in Spain’s 2010 World Cup final win over the Netherlands left a lasting impact on Aditya.

The match-preview specialist believes that his ongoing five-year stint at Sportskeeda has given him the ability to identify the distinct line between emotional and fact-based articles, which separates him from other journalists. For him, fact-checking is the most integral part of his writing process and he only relies on authentic platforms for data.

Aditya is a semi-professional pianist and likes to participate in concerts and recitals when not immersed in football.

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Edited by Aditya Hosangadi