Monday 08/09/2014, 21:45, Ireland Premier League, Round 27, Dundalk vs Derry City

Dundalk vs Derry City Preview

Dundalk is flying high and leads the Irish Premier League, but the gap separating them from the runners-up has been reduced to just three points. Cork City is within striking distance and even though they lost both head to head games, the leaders can't afford to be tied in the remaining rounds. Winning at home against Derry City shouldn't be too difficult, with their opponents having a subpar record on the road.

Dundalk vs Derry City Odds

At Expekt

Dundalk 1.45, Draw 4.00, Derry City 6.75

Dundalk vs Derry City Tips

When they compete against Dundalk, most Irish teams feature a defensive formations because they know that taking too many chances upfront can easily backfire. Derry City makes no exception and the fact that they have relatively low expectations for this season, will provide them with another incentive to only use one striker.

Patterson appears to be the best choice, after McEleney failed to meet expectations in the previous round and also saw a yellow card after 30 min. Playing with a single striker, means that Derry City will need to make the most of the few scoring opportunities and so far, Patterson has been a more clinical striker.

By comparison, the hosts will come out firing on all cylinders, with all three strikers expected to play from the first minute. Byrne, McMillan and Hoban will spearhead the offensive, in an attempt of avoiding another narrow margin defeat, as a result of conceding an early goal.

Dundalk lost for the first time in 10 games away at St. Patrick's and need to return to their winning ways soon, to consolidate their lead. They have the best home pitch record of all Irish teams, having won 10 games and drawing three, succeeding so far in avoiding defeat.

Key Facts

• Derry City won just three times on the road and lost five games out of 13.
• Dundalk won four of the last five head to head games and drew the most recent fixture

Dundalk vs Derry City Prediction

Punters would be tempted to back the hosts to win outright, but the odds for a home victory are too low to consider. A far better choice is to trust the hosts to cover the -1.00 goals spread, which means that they need to win by at least two goals for the odds of 1.95 to be paid. If Dundalk prevailed by a narrow margin, the stakes are returned.

Bet: Dundalk -1.00 goals @ 1.95 with Expekt