Both sides are heading into the match on the back of 1-0 defeats, with the hosts losing out to St. Patrick's Athletic, while Derry were beaten by league-leaders Shamrock Rovers.
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Shelbourne will host Derry City in a League of Ireland Premier Division fixture at Tolka Park on Friday night. Both sides are heading into the match on the back of 1-0 defeats, with the hosts losing out to St. Patrick’s Athletic, while Derry were beaten by league-leaders Shamrock Rovers. The visitors are currently occupying second spot in the Irish top flight standings, having collected 29 points from 23 games, seven adrift of the summit. Shels, meanwhile, have two games in hand over the Candystripes, and are sitting at the sixth position, with 30 points to their name.
It’s MATCHDAY! 🔴⚪️
Back on the road to Dublin tonight as RuaidhrĂ Higgins marks 100 games in charge of the Candystripes as we take on Shelbourne at Tolka Park.
KO: 7.45pm. Live on LOITV. pic.twitter.com/sSGcJne7Ye
— Derry City FC (@derrycityfc) June 30, 2023
Shelbourne suffered their fifth league-defeat of the season against St. Patrick’s last Friday courtesy of Jack Mulraney’s lone goal mid-way through the second half. The result ended their four-game unbeaten run, that included three draws. Shels have recorded seven top flight wins this season and their last success came against Drogheda United (3-2) on June 5 thanks to goals from Sean Boyd, Shane Griffin and Evan Caffrey. Meanwhile, the Reds have collected ten points from their last five league-games at Tolka Park. The Auld Reds finished seventh in the Irish top flight last term, and are now in a much better situation to secure a top half finish this time around. Meanwhile, a victory on Friday will take Shelbourne to within six points off the top two, and that too with two games in hand.
Derry City, on the other hand, suffered their sixth league-defeat of the season against Hoops last Monday courtesy of Rory Gaffney’s lone goal in the first-half. Prior to that, Derry got the better of cork City thanks to two unanswered goals from Jamie McGonigle and Tiernan McGinty. It was their 11th top flight victory of the season. Although the Candystripes have the second-best away record in the league, having taken 20 points from 11 outings, their last three top flight games on the road had ended in defeats, conceding six goals and scoring just once in the process. Head coach Ruaidhri Higgins must ensure that his players quickly bounce back, otherwise they could find themselves embroiled in a battle to hold on to the second spot.
Shelbourne probable starting lineup: Kearns, Quinn, Molloy, Griffin, Wilson, Farrell, Coyle, Lunney, Caffrey, Smith, Boyd
Derry City probable starting lineup: Maher, Connolly, S McEleney, McJannet, Boyce, O’Reilly, Diallo, Doherty, Graydon, McGonigle, Kavanagh
Shelbourne
| Opponents | Score |
| St. Patrick’s | 1-0 (L) |
| Sligo rovers | 1-1 (D) |
| Drogheda | 3-2 (W) |
| Derry City | 0-0 (D) |
| Bohemians | 0-0 (D) |
Derry City
| Opponents | Score |
| Shamrock Rovers | 1-0 (L) |
| Cork City | 2-0 (W) |
| Bohemians | 0-0 (D) |
| St. Patrick’s | 4-1 (L) |
| Derry City | 0-0 (D) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Derry City draw Shelbourne | 0-0 |
| Derry City beat Shelbourne | 0-1 |
| Derry City beat Shelbourne | 4-0 |
| Derry City draw Shelbourne | 1-1 |
| Derry City beat Shelbourne | 0-1 |
The League of Ireland Premier Division fixture between Shelbourne and Derry City will take place at Tolka Park on Saturday at 12:15 am IST.
| Shelbourne vs Derry City | Key Details |
| Date | June 30 (UK) |
| Venue | Tolka Park |
| kickoff time in UK | 7:45 pm (Friday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 12:15 am (Saturday) |
Football fans in UK can catch catch the live action via LOITV.
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