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

Best bets

Shamrock Rovers
3pts 7-10 Betfair

St Patrick's Athletic draw no bet
3pts 8-11 Ladbrokes

Cobh Ramblers
1pt 10-11 general

League of Ireland weekend predictions

The top two in the League of Ireland Premier Division clash at Tallaght on Friday night but it could prove to be a fairly straightforward assignment for second-placed Shamrock Rovers.

The Hoops' sluggish start is a thing of the past and one of the champions' notable victories during their fine recent run was a 2-0 win at Bohs, a fixture which illustrated the gulf between the two teams.

Bohs will need a lot to go right to get anything out of Rovers, who have lost once in 13 outings and defied a strange drift in the betting to beat Derry City 2-0 on Monday.

Having been a shade of odds-against to win the title a few weeks ago, Rovers are now a best-priced 5-6 and those odds will only get shorter if they beat Bohs.

Cork City and St Patrick's Athletic have both changed their managers since Monday, so it is hard to know what to make of their meeting at Turner's Cross. 

However, Cork are much weaker than Saints on paper and backing Pat's in the draw-no-bet market at 8-11 appeals.

There's a clash of two similarly matched sides on Saturday as Dundalk travel to the Showgrounds to face Sligo, who have been doing well of late but look a little short in the market.

Both Waterford and Galway suffered shock defeats on Monday but Division One still looks like a two-horse race and the sides' clash at Terryland is huge, especially for Blues.

Finn Harps face a round journey of almost 900 kilometres to Cobh this weekend and it might feel even longer come the final whistle. 

The Rams have developed into a decent unit under Shane Keegan and they should have enough to beat Harps, even in the absence of midfielder Jack Doherty. 

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