Waterford worth backing against sorry Saints

7.45pm Friday

What looked a dead title race is now alive in the League of Ireland.

Shamrock Rovers, a 7-1 poke, shocked Dundalk on Tuesday, and Cork City are right back in the race. That said, the champions need to unlock what will be a stubborn Sligo side.

Cork are not playing well enough to merit a bet at 2-5. Suddenly, their defence has become shaky, and their performance in the 1-1 draw at home to St Patrick's recently was worryingly poor.

Sligo will look to the pace of Mikey Drennan and would have made some appeal at 8-1, but Cork will get a bit of a lift from the Rovers result at Oriel Park.

Limerick were drawn against Dundalk in the last eight of the cup and it is nearly impossible to see the Lilywhites not winning their league tie tonight. Limerick may find motivation difficult, as they are long odds-on to finish in the playoff spot, while Dundalk know they cannot be dropping points here.

The bet of the evening is 6-4 about Waterford draw-no-bet in Inchicore. Waterford are ten points ahead of Saints, who may be feeling a bit down after their Cup defeat in Derry, which might have ended their season.

Noel Hunt likely misses out for the Blues but Courtney Duffus and Izzy Akinade should be fine. Visiting Richmond Park will be no issue for the visitors, who know that they need to finish third to ensure a return to European football. They are curiously long in the betting given how good they have been.

Derry City host in-form Bohemians and the odds look about right in this one, with the Candystripes having an incredibly good record against the Dubliners in recent seasons. Bray host Shamrock Rovers, who are punitively priced.

Drogheda and UCD should be close in a cracking contest at the top of Division 1. Likely it will be so tight that 13-5 the draw is slightly long. Drogs give little away at United Park.

Recommendations
Waterford draw-no-bet
2pts 6-4 Bet365
Drogheda-UCD draw
0.5pt 13-5 Hills

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