Sports Mole previews Monday’s League of Ireland Premier clash between Sligo Rovers and Drogheda United, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Drogheda United will be bidding to end a three-game losing run in the League of Ireland Premier Division when they travel to Sligo Rovers on Monday evening.
The visitors have only picked up one point from their last four matches, but Sligo will enter the contest off the back of a surprise 2-1 victory over division leaders Shelbourne.
Match preview
Sligo pulled off a surprise result at Tolka Park on Friday evening, beating the leaders Shelbourne 2-1, with the victory seeing them move onto 22 points in the League of Ireland Premier Division.
Rovers boast a record of five wins, seven draws and six losses from their 18 league matches this term, and they currently sit eighth in the table, just two points behind sixth-placed Bohemians.
John Russell‘s side actually have the worst home record in the division this season, picking up just 10 points from their nine games in front of their own fans, but they will be welcoming a Drogheda outfit that have collected just three points from their nine league games on their travels this term.
Sligo finished eighth in the League of Ireland Premier Division last year, but they have won the top league on three previous occasions, with their last success coming back in 2012.
Rovers have won just one of their last six league games against Drogheda and suffered a 3-1 defeat when the two teams last locked horns at the end of April.
Drogheda will enter this match off the back of three straight defeats, losing to Galway United, Waterford and Shamrock Rovers since a 1-1 draw with the leaders Shelbourne on May 10.
Kevin Doherty‘s side were last victorious at the start of May, beating Dundalk 2-1, and their recent struggles have left them in ninth position in the table on 15 points.
Drogheda are already seven points behind eighth-placed Sligo and just two points ahead of basement outfit Dundalk, demonstrating the importance of this match.
United are yet to win on their travels in the League of Ireland Premier Division this season, while they have only managed five goals in their nine games away from their own fans.
Drogheda will be searching for their first away win over Sligo since June 2021 on Monday evening, and they will have taken confidence from their 3-1 success in the last meeting between the sides.
Sligo Rovers League of Ireland Premier form:
Drogheda United League of Ireland Premier form:
Team News
Sligo will definitely be missing four players through injury on Monday, with William Fitzgerald, Simon Power, Nando Pijnaker and John Mahon all unavailable for selection.
The home side are also likely to be missing Conor Reynolds due to the problem which forced him off in the first half of the team’s success over Shelbourne last time out.
Reynolds’s spot is expected to be taken by Owen Elding, while there will be another start in the number 10 position for Ellis Chapman, who has scored four times in the league this season.
As for Drogheda, Warren Davis and Aaron McNally will miss the contest due to fitness problems.
The team did not pick up any fresh fitness issues in their clash with Shamrock Rovers, though, and head coach Doherty is likely to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack.
Frantz Pierrot has scored four times in the League of Ireland Premier Division this season, and the 25-year-old will again operate in the final third of the field for the visitors.
Sligo Rovers possible starting lineup:
McGinty; Wilson, Denham, Elding, Hutchinson; Hartmann, Morahan, Malley, Radosavljevic; Chapman; Barlow
Drogheda United possible starting lineup:
Wogan; Heeney, Keaney, Cann, Weir; Gallagher, Deegan; Foley, Markey, Bawa; Pierrot
We say: Sligo Rovers 2-0 Drogheda United
Sligo were excellent against Shelbourne last time out, and we are expecting them to pick up another three points here. Drogheda have the quality to cause the hosts issues, but the away side are struggling for form, and we are finding it difficult to back them to pick up a positive result on Monday night.
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