Derry City F.C. vs St Patrick’s Athletic Preview
Round three of the League of Ireland Premier Division kicks off this week. Derry City F.C. vs St Patrick’s takes place at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium on Friday, March 1, at 7:45 pm. Both sides started the new season with victories, but Derry has a slender lead in the standings following a draw last weekend. Who will take all three points this Friday?
With only two matches played so far this season, it’s troublesome to judge who is in form. Derry beat Drogheda United in week one and managed a 0-0 draw against Sligo Rovers last Saturday. St Patrick’s beat ten-man Galway and followed it up with a 0-1 defeat to the Bohemians at home. Only one point separates the two sides entering this fixture, and there is a lot to play for, even this early in the campaign. With the top four teams all level on points, the winner of this game would take one step away from the chasing pack.
Derry City F.C. vs St Patrick’s Athletic Head-To-Head and Key Stats
These two Irish soccer clubs have played each other several dozen times over the years. Most recently, they have faced off in the regular season and the FAI Cup. Looking at the ten previous fixtures, Derry City has been the more dominant side, with six victories. St Pats have only won two matches in the last ten, and two results have ended with a draw. Recent history certainly favours Derry, but will that be enough this Friday?
The last time these teams met was in November 2023. Derry City hosted St Patrick’s in a 3-0 thumping. The home side took full control of the match less than half an hour into the game. Brandon Kavanagh scored the first goal after the ten-minute mark, followed by William Patching 15 minutes later. Derry had a two-nil lead in the first half, and they held off St Pats even after the visitors made five changes. The substitutes did not help the Athletic, and they conceded in the 86th minute, courtesy of Jordan McEneff. Derry deserved their lead, having more possession, goal attempts, and shots on target during the match.
Before that meeting in the Irish Premier Division, the teams faced off in August during the FAI Cup. The sides both made it to the round of 16 following victories over Athlone and Longford. Derry hosted the match once again, and it was a goalless affair. The first half was uneventful, and both managers made various changes in the second period to change the game. However, the score was level after 90 minutes, and nothing separated the sides after extra time. It went to penalties, and Jake Mulraney was the first to blink. He missed for St Pats, and Danny Mullen put the hosts 3-2 in front. However, misses from Michael Duffy and Mark Connolly gave the away side the win.
St Patrick’s Athletic won the FAI Cup last year, having beaten Finn Harps and Cork City in the run to the final. They faced the Bohemians at the Aviva Stadium and were 1-0 down inside ten minutes. St Patrick’s showed incredible determination and responded with a Mark Doyle goal after 20 minutes. The second half started with Krystian Nowak’s own goal, followed by the nail in the coffin from Tom Lonergan. It finished 1-3 in favour of the Athletic, even though they had fewer goal attempts and shared the possession at 50-50.
Looking at last weekend’s results, both teams struggled to take their chances. St Patrick’s had more possession against the Bohemians but ended up losing 0-1 thanks to a late penalty. The Athletic had 17 attempts compared to the Bohs eight, forcing Kacper Chorazka into six saves. Derry City also struggled against a winless Sligo side. They had more possession, corners, and goal attempts than the home side. However, both teams only registered one shot on target, proving it was an off day for the forwards.
Betting on the Premier Division has been tricky so far this season. No team has shown their credentials to push on and challenge for the title. The league table is incredibly tight, as Drogheda is the only team without a point in the entire ten-team division. Only six clubs have recorded one victory, and no side has won two in a row. This week will not be easy to predict, but it could give us an idea of which sides will challenge at the top in 2024.
Derry City F.C. vs St Patrick’s Athletic Predictions
Prediction: Derry City F.C. 1-1 St Patrick’s Athletic
We predict that there will be nothing to separate these teams after 90 minutes. Derry will score the first goal before the end of the first half, and St Pats will level the game before any additional time. Both teams failed to find the back of the net last week, and we predict they will struggle to take their chances this weekend.
Predicting a soccer match is never straightforward, especially this early in the season. Most sides have shown signs of rustiness, as there is no clear leader at the top of the league table. We think these struggles will continue, and this match will end in a draw.
If you are going to bet on this soccer game, the most likely event is a Derry City victory. With the advantage of playing in front of a home crowd and a recent record of dominating against St Pats, there’s a chance the hosts walk away victorious this Friday. The least likely outcome is for the Athletic to get a result as they have underperformed so far this season. They have played eight matches since the FAI Cup final against Bohemian and have only won four matches. Whereas, Derry has played seven games in 2024, losing one but drawing twice.
Betting on Derry is a good move this week, as they traditionally get the better of St Patrick’s. However, given the slow start by almost every team in the division, we predict a 1-1 or 0-0 draw is on the cards. City travelled to Sligo Rovers last week, and they looked like the better side throughout. They were the heavy favourites in the game, and they failed to score from all the chances they created. While any side creating opportunities is heading in the right direction, the lack of goals is a big worry. The same applies to St Patrick’s, as they have only found the back of the net once all season.
This could be a good fixture to sign up at Novibet. Both sides will have to step up their recent performances if they want to win this division. Plus, if you register this week, you can receive a welcome bonus to help you get started. Using your welcome offer to bet on a draw could be a good move, as there is a lot on this line in this match.
Derry City F.C. vs St Patrick’s Athletic Betting Tips
Placing bets on sporting events is exciting, but that does not mean it is easy to get right. According to the online bookmaker, a lot separates the two soccer teams. The odds of betting on St. Patrick’s will give you more profit than a wager on Derry. City to win by any margin has odds of 8/13, which returns €16.15 from a ten euro bet. Placing the same value wager on the away side has odds of 9/2, yielding €55. We predict this Premier Division match will end in a draw, and that has odds of 13/5.
In this fixture, one of the best markets to consider is whether both teams will score. We predict both sides will score one goal in the 90 minutes. The odds for this market are 10/11, which would turn your €25 into €47.73. If you think it could end up as a 0-0 draw, then the odds are 4/5. This is a good wager to consider, especially if you are unsure of the full-time result.
Another option for sports betting fans this week is to investigate proposition bets. These wagers involve making predictions for individual players during the match. Derry City’s Patrick Hoban registered a goal and an assist in the first match this season. Betting on him to add another goal or assist has quite reasonable returns at the online betting site. Plus, you could also investigate St Patrick’s goal scorer, Jamie Lennon. He is the only Athletic player to score a goal for the team in this campaign.
If you are thinking about live betting on this match, a 0-0 wager could be a good prediction. If Derry fails to score in the first half, we could be in for another goalless match. Watching live will help you avoid bad wagers, as you can bet as the action unfolds. In the last ten matches between the clubs, there have been four red cards. The referee sent off one home and one away player in two 1-0 wins in favour of Derry. So, watch out for red cards this Friday.
Two teams with title aspirations go head-to-head live on RTÉ2 this Friday night 👊
The Saints look to bounce back from Friday night's loss to Bohs while Derry City are aiming to continue an unbeaten start to 2024. #LOI24 | @RTEsport pic.twitter.com/pYCKuSh87b
— League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) February 26, 2024
Derry City F.C. Team News & Lineup
Ruaidhri Higgins has overseen two fresh additions to the Derry City F.C. squad in recent weeks. Patrick Hoban joined from Dundalk FC for around €30k, and Daniel Kelly also joined as a free transfer. Hoban at 32 and Kelly at 27 are smart additions to help strengthen the side. Two players left Derry to join St. Pat’s recently, including Cian Kavanagh and Brandon Kavanagh. Will those transfers come back to haunt Derry?
- Derry Predicted Lineup: B. Maher, R. Boyce, C. McJannett, M. Connolly, B. Doherty, W. Patching, M. Duffy, P. McMullan, J. McEneff, P. McEleney, and P. Hoban.
St Patrick’s Athletic Team News & Lineup
St Patricks have been incredibly busy during the transfer window, bringing in a variety of young and promising players. They brought in five players on free transfers, including Ruiri Keating, Conor Keeley, Aaron Bolger, Arran Pettifer, and Cian Kavanagh. Other recent additions include Romal Palmer from Göztepe, Marcelo Pitaluga from Liverpool U21, and Alfie Taylor from Hull U21. Jon Daly got his reinforcements, but can he get them working together?
- St Pat’s Predicted Lineup: M. Pitaluga, C. Keeley, L. Turner, A. Sjoberg, J. Redmond, A. Breslin, C. Forrester, J. Lennon, K. Leavy, J. Mulraney, and R. Keating.
