Expert League of Ireland season predictions and football betting tips from Johnny Ward

Best bets

Tunde Owolabi top scorer in Premier Division
1pt each-way 40-1 BoyleSports, Paddy Power

Galway United to win Division 1
2pts each-way 11-4 BoyleSports

Week one best bets

Dundalk -1 on handicap
7.45pm Friday
3pts 10-11 general

Galway draw-no-bet
8pm Friday
3pts 4-5 general

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League of Ireland preview

After what seems a relatively short off-season, the League Of Ireland returns on Friday night and the general belief is that, after several years of Shamrock Rovers dominance, we will have a title race in 2023.

Derry City were far better than the Hoops in the President's Cup victory on Friday. One should not read much into that but in their head-to-head clashes last season Derry were pretty much as good as Rovers and they are getting better under the excellent Ruaidhri Higgins.

The problem for those wanting a wager is that you have to either play Rovers at 5-6 or Derry at 13-8. It may be a two-horse race but even that is not guaranteed and, with bookmakers only paying two each-way places, there is no obvious value.

At a far more appealing price, Tunde Owolabi is a decent bet to be the season's top goalscorer. Although he plays for newly-promoted Cork City, Owolabi looks set to start pretty much every game when fit, unlike last season at St Patrick's, and he showed at Finn Harps that he can be prolific when getting a run of games.

This is a strangely open market, with bookmakers going double-figures the field, and Owolabi has the credentials to be a cult hero at Turner's Cross. 

He scored a brilliant hat-trick for Pat's against Bohemians last season, although he struggled to dislodge Eoin Doyle up top.

In Division One, it is hard to know how the John Caulfield-Ollie Horgan dynamic will work out at Galway United but the Tribesmen have signed really well in the off-season, are one of only a couple of full-time teams in the second tier, and must have a good chance of finally winning something. 

Waterford, backed by even greater resources, are the obvious danger, but have lost Phoenix Patterson to Fleetwood Town.

Dundalk can open up UCD

In Friday's games, the RTE cameras are at Turner's Cross, where Bohemians will be tricky opening opponents for Cork City.

UCD are hard to weigh up this season but after all their off-season losses they will surely find it really difficult this season and Dundalk should hammer them at Oriel Park. 

Finn Harps have also undergone much upheaval and it is hard to see them getting anything against Galway.

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