Saturday
Derry City v Finn Harps (7.30)
The goals finally started to go in for Derry last week and Felix Healy is hoping that after getting off the mark against Kilkenny, his men will be keen to make up for lost time against their neighbours from Donegal this evening.
Robbie Brunton is still suspended but everybody else is available to Healy who remains undaunted by the ground to be made up on the early leaders. "I've always felt that the league really only gets going after the Christmas and once you're there or thereabouts then, you're in with a shot, he said."
Asked whether Finn Harps's first ever win over City in their recent League Cup match would have any effect he replied: "Well, I'm hoping that it will stop people asking me about the fact that Harps had never beaten us." Nuff said.
Charlie McGeever is likely to stick with the combination which has yielded maximum points from their last three matches.
Last season: Finn Harps 0 Derry City 1, Derry City 3 Finn Harps 0, Finn Harps 0 Derry City 1.
Recent league form: Derry: LWLLW, Harps: WLWWW.
Leading scorers: Derry: Hargan (five), Harps: Speak (five).
Betting: Home: 4/6, Draw: 9/4, Away: 9/2.
Referee: H Byrne (Dublin)
Sunday
Cork City v Bohemians (2.0)
Back on song, Cork City come into this game with much the same squad that took the points from Sligo last week which means that a handful of important players are still laid up due to problems of various types.
Phillip Long, Patsy Freyne and Kelvin Flanagan all took knocks in that win but should be all right while the most likely change is the return of goalkeeper Phil Harrington for Noel Mooney.
Bohemians, meanwhile, would dearly love to get a bit of a winning streak together after a period in which they feel their performances warranted more than was obtained.
"We've been playing well all along," says Turlough O'Connor "but weren't getting the results we deserved so it was nice to beat Shelbourne although it will be very hard to take something from Cork."
Peter Hanrahan and James Coll face fitness tests on calf and back problems respectively but things are unlikely to be changed about too drastically.
Last season: Bohemians 1 Cork City 0, Cork City 0 Bohemians 0, Bohemians 1 Cork 0.
Recent league form: Cork: LLLWW, Bohemians: WLDDW.
Leading scorers: Cork: O'Brien (four), Bohemians: Lawlor and Parkes (five apiece).
Betting: Home: 13/8, Draw: 7/4, Away: 15/8.
Referee: M Tomney (Dublin)
St Patrick's Ath v Dundalk (3.15)
Since being beaten on the opening day of the season by Cork, Jim McLaughlin's Lillywhites have been on quite a run but the Saints have hardly been slouching themselves lately with three vistories and two draws since the 3-2 defeat by Shelbourne.
At home, however, Pat Dolan's side still have a bit too prove although he himself is confident that "hard work is always rewarded and we will get there over the coming weeks."
Taking on McLaughlin, though, will be tough for, as Dolan admits "Jim's record is what everybody in National League management aspires to, to have just a few of the good days that he's had."
Tomorrow Dolan will approach the task with the same squad at his disposal that he brought to Tolka Park last week, there is the usual batch of minor problems but nothing too serious.
His opposite number, meanwhile - who says of St Patrick's "if the lads who played us in the reserves last week can't get into the team then they must be good," - must wait to see if Tom McNulty gets over a bout of flu but otherwise brings a full squad with him to Dublin.
Last season: Dundalk 1 St Patrick's Athletic 0, St Patrick's Athletic 2 Dundalk 2, Dundalk 2 Saint Patrick's Athletic 2.
Recent league form: Saint Patrick's: WDWDW, Dundalk: WWWWD.
Leading scorers: Saint Patrick's: Molloy, Gormley and Gilzean (three apiece), Dundalk: Melvin and Byrne (four apiece).
Betting: Home: 4/6, Draw: 9/4, Away: 9/2.
Referee: J Feighery (Dublin).
UCD v Sligo Rovers (3.15)
While the rest of Belfield's student relax at what is normally a relatively stress free period, the college's footballers need to knuckle under a little in order to play their way out of a slump that threatens to leave them with the league championship's equivalent of cramming to do in the latter part of the season.
Robert Griffin in the home side's main worry after he damaged an ankle in the defeat by Finn Harps last week and Ken Kilmurray is on stand by for a call up after scoring three for the reserves last weekend.
Sligo are also looking to end a poor run and expect to have Padraig Moran and Mark Hutchinson back from injury while Nicky Reid also hopes to give on loan central defender Mattie Hare from Exeter City his debut.
Last season: Sligo Rovers 2 UCD 1, UCD 1 Sligo Rovers 1, Sligo Rovers 2 UCD 0.
Recent league form: UCD: WDWLL, Sligo: WWLLL.
Leading scorers: UCD: Sherlock (three), Sligo: Rose (four).
Betting: Home: 7/4, Draw: 7/4, Away: 7/4.
Referee: J Stacey (Athlone).
First Division
Tommy Lynch brings his side Waterford side to Dublin tomorrow hoping to make amends for last weekend's slip up when, he concedes, St Francis took no more than they deserved home from the Regional Sports Centre.
The hosts will still be without Paul McNally and Noel Griffin but Lynch has the option of recalling Jason Bowman, Liam Maher and John Lacey all of whom are back in the reckoning.
Limerick have a few injury problems with Albert Finnan (back), Jason O'Connor (flu), Ray O'Halloran (stomach muscle) and Declan Casey (hamstring) all likely to miss out and so Frank Nolan, Anthony McCormack, Howie King and Eddie Walsh should start tomorrow afternoon.
This evening Galway and Longford will stick with much the same line ups that started last week when Galway won thanks to a last minute strike for United. "It happened us again," moans Michael O'Connor "I'm begining to wish somebody would hammer us just so I could say `well, we're not good enough for this league' because as it is we're doing pretty well without getting anything for it."
Monaghan, meanwhile, should have Lee King fit again for the visit of Cobh but Derek O'Neill (calf) is almost certain to be absent for a fifth successive week while Ramblers much wait on fitness tests to Terry Eviston (hamstring) and Paul Coughlan (knee ligaments) before selecting although 21year-old midfielder Dion Raitt, signed this week from Darlington on a month's loan, should play a part.
Betting courtesy of Paddy Power.
