Derry City return to League of Ireland Premier action when they travel to face struggling Finn Harps in a Northwest derby at Finn Park on Sunday evening.
The visitors have seen their Europa Conference League campaign ended prematurely over the last couple of weeks, whilst the hosts continue to extend their winless run as they slide towards an inevitable relegation.
Match preview
After being downed by a 3-1 scoreline at Shelbourne last Friday, Finn Harps fell 13 points behind Drogheda United in safety.
Ollie Horgan's side did manage to pull themselves level through Ethan Boyle after falling behind early on at Tolka Park, but after conceding another goal at the end of each half, yet another disappointing defeat was suffered.
It is now just two points from the last 27 on offer during a nine-game winless run for Sunday's hosts, which has seen them fail to show signs of life in their quest to avoid the drop.
The only positive during a dreadful 2022 campaign so far has been the even worse showings on offer from University College Dublin, who prop up the table three points further back from Finn Harps.
As a result, it is looking likely that Horgan's men will have to do battle in a relegation playoff tie when the season concludes in November, but the boss knows all too well that should their form continue to suffer, it is only a matter of time until UCD pick up some points of their own in the fight against automatic relegation.
Meanwhile, Derry have been out of domestic action for over two weeks since securing a thrilling 3-2 victory at Bohemians back on July 1.
A two-legged Europa Conference League qualification tie has been the focus in the meantime, but any hopes of reaching the second edition of the competition were ended at the hands of Latvian side Riga FC.
A 2-0 defeat at home to their opponents in the first leg left very little hope heading into Thursday's trip to Eastern Europe, and a repeat of the same scoreline meant Ruaidhri Higgins' side exited the qualification stages in the first round.
Attentions must immediately return to the League of Ireland Premier, where Sunday's visitors will be hoping to strengthen their hold on a top-three finish in the 2022 campaign.
A recent seven-game winless run between May and June has been ended by successive wins, leaving Derry five points clear of St Patrick's Athletic in fourth place at the time of writing.
Shamrock Rovers, who are 11 points clear of Higgins' men, look to have run away with the title, but Derry will be looking to secure another European qualification campaign for next year as they hope to finish the domestic season strongly.
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Team News
The hosts are without versatile defender David Webster once again on Sunday, whilst Horgan could well be without three further players as well.
Dylan Duncan, Filip Mihaljevic and Eric McWoods are doubts to feature due to injury, and although the former has been used sparingly, the latter are Finn Harps' joint-top goalscorers this season, with three goals apiece.
As for the visitors, Sadou Diallo is expected to be part of the squad just two days after joining the club on an 18-month deal from Forest Green Rovers.
The Manchester City academy product is unlikely to start in Ballybofey, but the midfielder should be available to make an impact from the substitutes bench.
Michael Duffy returned from a long spell out with injury in midweek, but the midfielder is also expected to have to settle for a place on the bench as he continues to regain match fitness.
Finn Harps possible starting lineup:
Mulreany; Boyle, Slevin, Tourish, Carrillo, Donelon; Connolly, Rainey, McNamee; Jones, Mahdy
Derry City possible starting lineup:
Maher; Dummigan, Toal, S. McEleney, Lafferty; P. McEleney, Thomson, Patching; Akintunde, McGonigle, Kavanagh
We say: Finn Harps 1-2 Derry City
Although Derry should comfortably win this derby on paper based on this season's successes, a tiring trip back home on Friday is likely to leave them a little short of fitness on Sunday.
The hosts will surely look to capitalise on their advantage in energy levels, but we are still predicting the visitors to edge out their rivals and strengthen their hold on a top-three spot.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matthew Tranter
