Galway host Shelbourne in Friday's Irish Premier Division match. Both teams are eager to return to winning ways after recent struggles and with just three points separating them, a thrilling contest is expected here.
Galway head into this match off the back of a 2-1 home league defeat to Sligo Rovers in their previous league fixture. That result extends a poor run for John Caulfield’s men, who have only picked up three wins from their last 10 Premier Division matches.
While the Tribesmen have netted 10 goals in the last 10 league outings, the 11 conceded in the same period has left them struggling to find consistency. They will need to find some balance in a bid to close up the seven-point gap on the top three.
Shelbourne played out a 2-2 draw at Waterford in their previous Premier Division match. The result saw them miss an opportunity to close the gap on the top three as they remained three points behind third placed Drogheda.
Going forward, Shelbourne have scored 10 times in as many matches, although they have conceded 11 times in that run. Joey O'Brien will continue as interim boss following the departure of Damien Duff.
His men are now tasked with improvement at both ends of the pitch in order to return to winning ways and climb further up the log.
How the bookies view it: Evenly matched rivals
Both teams are evenly matched among the bookies, with a win for Galway priced at 8/5 by BoyleSports, who are also offering odds of 17/10 for a Shelbourne victory. A draw is set at odds of 2/1.
Head to head: Shelbourne on top
Shelbourne have a 13-7 advantage, with seven draws from 27 previous matches against Galway. Both teams have already drawn their two meetings this season, playing out a 2-2 scoreline in the most recent clash in April.
Players to watch: Dependable Wood
Harry Wood netted twice last weekend to take his goal tally this campaign to four for Shelbourne. He could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime – valued at 3/1 with BoyleSports.
With top scorer Moses Dyer ruled out, Patrick Hickey will be the one to watch for Shelbourne. The forward has four goals this season and could be backed to find the net once again (Anytime Goalacorer valued at 3/1).
Probable lineups:
Galway's only injury concern is midfielder Jimmy Keohane who is out with a knock while top scorer Dyer is suspended. However, Hickey is expected to start, Vincent Borden and David Hurley expected to keep their spots in the lineup.
Shelbourne have a fully fit squad and are likely to name an unchanged side from last weekend. Wood is expected to start here while Ademipo Odubeko and Alistair Coote should retain his place in the team.
Galway: Watts, Esua, Slevin, Buckley, Cunningham, McCarthy, Hurley, Borden, Byrne, McCormack, Hickey
Shelbourne: Kearns, Wilson, Ledwidge, Gannon, Barret, Caffrey, Coyle, Lunney, Coote, Wood, Odubeko
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in Galway’s last three matches (BTTS YES valued at 10/11 with BoyleSports). The home side’s last two away matches have produced over 2.5 goals – available at 13/10.
The last meeting between both teams produced goals in both halves – valued at 11/10.
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