Saturday
Finn Harps v Bray Wanderers (7.30)
The home side will be looking to bounce straight back from last week's defeat in Cork but more pointedly to improve on their home performance against Waterford which, Charlie McGeever reckons, was their most disappointing outing of the season so far.
Unlike their last two visitors, St Patrick's and Shamrock Rovers, Bray, he expects, will be a little more cautious in their approach and, with everybody available to him again, there will be a little bit of a reshuffle in midfield as he looks for a more positive approach.
Bray, meanwhile, may be without top scorer Jason Byrne who, having recovered from a strain to play last week has this time come down with an infection. Manager Pat Devlin would clearly prefer the teenager who has been in tremendous form since signing over the summer to play but, he says, there is more competition for places at the club now than in recent seasons and should the young Dubliner miss out there are plenty of options.
Barry O'Connor would presumably welcome a chance to return to the first team as would Graham Cassin but Devlin, who rested Philip Keogh and Pat O'Brien last week despite insisting that he was not particularly unhappy with the way they were performing points to the likes of Saragh Sheridan and Justin Dutton as other players in the reckoning.
Last season: Did not play.
Recent league form: Harps: DWDWL; Wanderers: WWDLW.
Leading scorers: Harps: Mulligan 4; Wanderers: Byrne 5, Smith 2.
Betting: Home: 8/11, draw: 9/4, away: 100/30. Referee: J McDermott (Dublin).
Sligo Rovers v Shamrock Rovers (7.30)
"I didn't think we played too badly last week," insists Sligo boss Nicky Reid as he reflects on the 4-1 defeat at Richmond Park "but at 1-1 they got a couple of wonder goals and after that it was all over really."
Reid's cause wasn't helped in the build up to one of the season's most daunting away trips by injury problems that ruled out Padraig Moran and Conor O'Grady while Steve Birks was suspended and Reid himself picked up a minor knock in training that kept him out.
Birks and Moran are still sidelined for a match that the hosts, without a victory since their opening game at Dundalk, could dearly do with winning but Reid and possibly O'Grady look likely to be in the frame for a start again - especially if Brian Hetherston's flu keeps him out.
Shamrock Rovers, as they so often do, have a doubt about Tony Cousins, the striker has a knee problem, but given his remarkable run of league appearances it seems likely that he'll play. Brendan Markey will be out for another couple of weeks (knee again) while Eoghan O'Meara went over on his ankle in training. Richie Purdy, as he so often is, is suspended, and if Cousins does miss out then Derek Treacy will either start up front with Jason Sherlock or the former UCD striker will be alone there.
Last season: Rovers 1 Sligo 1, Sligo 0 Rovers 1, Rovers 0 Sligo 0.
Recent league form: Sligo: DDDLL; Rovers: DDWLW.
Leading scorers: Sligo: Shannon 3, Hallows 2; Rovers: Cousins 3, Sherlock 2.
Betting: Home: 6/4, draw: 11/5, away: 6/4. Referee: R O'Hanlon (Waterford).
Sunday
UCD v Derry City (3.15)
It's been an eventful week at the Brandywell with Felix Healy all but declaring his intention to resign and then, after talking it over with just about everybody in the city, opting to carry on.
"Results dictate the lives of all managers," he admits, and after the run that Derry have had a win against the students would be most welcome.
Healy points to his side's poor second half displays as the basis of their problems and over the coming weeks he will continue to switch things about in the hope of coming up with a line up that can keep going at full throttle for the 90 minutes. First to lose out in the experimentation with be Paul Curran and Liam Coyle with both expected to start on the bench while Peter Hutton drops back into the centre of the back four. Michael McHugh (achilles tendon) is unlikely to play.
UCD will still be without Tony McDonnell who is suffering from a back complaint. Graham Brett will play in his place again while Mick O'Byrne, who lined out last week despite having flu, should be 100 per cent again tomorrow.
Last season: Derry 1 UCD 1, UCD 1 Derry 2, Derry 0 UCD 3.
Recent league form: UCD: DLLWL; Derry: DDLWL.
Leading scorers: UCD: Bennis 2; Derry: L Coyle and McHugh 3 each.
Betting: Home: 7/4, draw: 2/1, away: 11/8.
Referee: P Whelan (Dublin).
First Division
Having lost by a single goal to neighbours Longford last week, Athlone entertain the other of the two frontrunners this evening when Galway come to town. Don O'Riordan's side will be without the suspended Billy Clery but Harry Costello comes into a side that will be anxious to recover the momentum they had in the early weeks of the campaign.
Game of the weekend, though, would appear to be tomorrow's meeting between leaders Longford and a Limerick team that has picked up 14 points from their last games.
The record of Stephen Kenny's side is fractionally better, as it happens (13 from five) and given those sort of figures it's hardly surprising that neither manager is especially keen to make changes.
Kenny will make one or two but if Gerard Thompson recovers from a knee injury it certainly won't be any more than that. Jimmy McGurn, a 19 year-old midfielder who has been impressing in the reserves, may force his way in, though.
Limerick still have a few injury problems with Howie King (calf), Declan Considine (knee ligaments) and John Whyte (ankle) amongst those expected to miss out. Paul Carr, signed from Waterford until the end of the season this week and Tommy Lynch, United's recently departed manager who has joined the Rathbane outfit as a player, both come into the squad.
Today: Athlone v Galway (7.30), Cobh v St Francis (7.0), HFE v Drogheda (7.30) Tomorrow: Limerick v Longford (2.30), Monaghan v Kilkenny (3.15).
Betting courtesy of Paddy Power.
