Having said his side "coped very well" with everything title-contenders Drogheda United threw at them in their surprise 2-0 win at United Park on Friday night, Shamrock Rovers' manager Pat Scully is expecting another tough examination of his young team's credentials at Tolka Park tonight.
A brace of well-taken goals from Tadhg Purcell stunned Drogheda to provide Rovers with a huge confidence boost; their first win over a top four side this season. If they can beat Cork tonight, they'd return to the top four themselves.
"This is a similar type of game to the one against Drogheda, so I'll be looking for a similar type of performance from our players," said Scully, whose side earned a creditable 0-0 draw at Turner's Cross in the first series.
Though all three played the full 90 minutes on Friday, captain Aidan Price and central defensive partner Barry Ferguson, along with midfielder Derek Pender, are injury doubts tonight. Andy Myler stands by to start in place of Ger Rowe who is still hampered by a rib injury.
Midfielder Joe Gamble returns for Cork following international duty in the United States last week. Sean Kelly is also available again having recovered from a fractured cheekbone, leaving fellow central defender Brian O'Callaghan, who picked up a groin strain in the win over Bohemians 11 days ago, manager Damien Richardson's chief concern.
A suspension to defender Graham Gartland following his red card against Rovers on Friday adds to injury-plagued Drogheda United's selection problems at Sligo Rovers. "It's important for us to get back on the road with a win," said manager Paul Doolin after two successive defeats.
With Ken Oman likely to be fit following a calf strain, Derry's caretaker manager Peter Hutton may drop himself to the bench for the visit of Waterford. Midfielder Greg O'Halloran returns from suspension, but winger Paddy McCourt (thigh) and left-back Sean Hargan (hip/foot) are still out.
Waterford, unbeaten in four games, are without defender Patrick Flynn and midfielder Stephen Cooling, both due to ankle injuries, while influential midfielder Shane Harte (groin) is a doubt
UCD manager Pete Mahon still has captain Tony McDonnell (hamstring) and Ronan Finn (knee) sidelined for their trip to Bray Wanderers.
Midfielder Stephen Hurley is ineligible for Bray as he's on loan from UCD, otherwise manager Eddie Gormley selects from a full squad.
Bottom two Longford Town and Galway United meet at Flancare Park desperate for a win. Kevin Doherty and Dessie Baker are in contention to return from the start for Longford.
