Preview: Derry City vs. Drogheda United - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams at opposite ends of the Ireland Premier table will meet on Friday when Derry City welcome Drogheda United to Brandywell.

The hosts are without a victory in their previous six outings, while the visitors are undefeated in their past three games as they continue to try and push up the league.

Match preview

Derry City are currently third-placed in the league table, with only one point separating them and Dundalk right now, which gives them the chance to climb into second with a win.

However, they will need to see a drastic improvement in their performances from how they were playing before the break as they failed to win in their previous six outings.

Derry did play in a friendly ahead of this game against Cliftonville which saw them get back to winning ways with a 2-1 result, which is something that they shall be hoping to take into match.

The squad have only won twice in their previous 10 matches across the league which is a run of form that they will have to switch if they want to remain in the hunt for the title.

A 2-2 draw is the previous result that Ruaidhri Higgins saw his team secure in their previous outing in the division as they had to come back from behind twice against Finn Harps.

The visitors are at the opposite end of the table right now as they sit in eighth place, but in their recent performances they have showcased that they are more than capable of climbing further up.

Drogheda United are undefeated in their previous three matches, where they have been able to pick up two victories and a draw in that period.

Dean Williams got on the scoresheet in their most recent outing in order to pick up a point against Bohemians, with his 84th-minute equaliser showcasing their fighting spirit.

Prior to that Kevin Doherty witnessed his team defeat Finn Harps and the current league leaders Shamrock Rovers, in what was a surprising result.

While they are currently just above the relegation zone, a continuation of their recent form would be able to help them start climbing away from that.

Team News

Derry have several injury concerns at the moment as Michael Duffy's foot issue and Ciaron Harkin's knee injury being something that is keeping each man out of action.

Cameron Dummigan also had to miss their previous outing following a muscle problem, but after a long break there is a chance that he will be fit enough to appear this week.

Darragh Markey is an injury concern for the visitors due to a muscle issue, but the club was able to welcome Williams into the team before the break despite him suffering a knock.

Dylan Grimes was also able to perform against Bohemians despite the fact he had been replaced in the game prior to that, which is another welcome boost.

Derry City possible starting lineup:

Maher; McEleney, Toal, McJannet; Boyce, Kavanagh, Malone, Patching, Smith; Thomson; McGonigle

Drogheda United possible starting lineup:

Long; Heeney, Cowan, Roughan, Weir; Rooney, Deegan, Clarke; Nugent, Grimes; Lyons

We say: Derry City 0-2 Drogheda United

Derry City might be the favourites heading into this match purely down to the fact that they are much further up the league table, but that does not reflect their recent performances.

Drogheda United have had better results as of late, and while they have plenty to fight for in their own they will likely be able to push and get the victory here.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.