League of Ireland 2022 season predictions & free football betting tips

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for the 2022 League of Ireland season.

Best bet

St Patrick's to win Premier Division
0.5pt 8-1 Paddy Power

St Patrick's without Shamrock Rovers
2pts 11-4 BoyleSports, Paddy Power

UCD to finish bottom
3pts 11-10 Paddy Power

Promise Omochere top scorer
1pt each-way 14-1 Paddy Power

Galway United to win First Division
1pt each-way 3-1 BoyleSports, Paddy Power

Preview

Season-ticket sales are at a record high and Damien Duff's first start in management will ensure plenty of hype as the League of Ireland returns.

Shamrock Rovers are seeking a third successive title and are rightly odds-on but it seems unlikely that the Hoops will have it all their own way and two other teams seem capable of launching a title bid. Jack Byrne adds more class to their midfield but, at 4-6, they can probably be left alone.

Ruaidhri Higgins did a brilliant job at Derry City last season. Since he took over, only Rovers have claimed more Premier Division points.

St Patrick's Athletic signed a proven goalscorer in Eoin Doyle, whose departure from Bolton represents a coup at this level. He scored in the President's Cup final last Friday, when Saints should have beaten Rovers.

Tim Clancy is an outstanding manager and given that they finished second last season without a regular goalscorer, Pat's should have a good chance of finishing second at worst. Dundalk have made so many changes and Bohemians have lost so many key players so it is hard to see the title as anything more than a three-horse race.

It would be foolish to read too much into it but the Tallaght performance of Saints suggests they are a bit big at 8-1 for the league. But odds of 11-4 that they win the race without Rovers is a far more appealing investment in what looks a two-horse race.

Derry made some outstanding signings but they are short enough in the market. Sligo Rovers, who finished third last season, will do exceptionally well to repeat that feat. Celtic snapped up Johnny Kenny and John Mahon has joined him in Scotland since.

It is hard to weigh up promoted Shelbourne, Dundalk, Finn Harps and perhaps a few more teams, given the off-season changes. Shels should be safe under Duff as they have signed quite well.

It seems likey that the relegation battle will involve at least two of UCD, Drogheda and Finn Harps. Harps are masters at survival at this stage and Drogs have allayed fears about their prospects with some promising displays in pre-season.

So it follows that UCD should be shorter to go down than the 11-10 on offer. This is a massive jump in class from the First Division, in which they finished a distant third. College conceded far more goals last year than every other top-six team last season.

If that were not enough of a concern, they are likely to lose their marquee players in the summer, chiefly goalscorer Colm Whelan. It will be some feat if they stay up.

Bohemians provided the top scorer in Georgie Kelly last season and his replacement Promise Omochere looks a bit of value at 14-1 to emulate a former team-mate who rates him extremely highly. Bohs look set to score a lot of goals this season and there's no doubt who their one starting striker is.

In the second tier, Galway United finished a comfortable second despite a really poor start in 2021. They should finish in the top three this season and look each-way value at 3-1. They are solid defensively and have added quality in attack.

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