Preview: St Patrick's Athletic vs Dundalk - prediction, team news, lineups

Hoping to reduce the deficit to the top of the Irish Premier Division table, St Patrick's Athletic will welcome Dundalk to Richmond Park on Friday.

The Saints are looking for just their second league win in four games, while the Lilywhites are aiming to end their top-flight losing streak.

Match preview

Stephen Kenny's St Pat's finished fifth in the Irish Premier Division last season, and while a return to European football would represent a commendable campaign, the club are not yet out of the title race.

The Saints currently sit third in the table, where their tally of 42 points has them eight behind leaders Shamrock Rovers, though the Red Army have a game in hand on the reigning champions.

However, it remains to be seen whether Kenny's side can capitalise on their advantage, considering their 1-1 draw with Waterford on July 10 means they have now triumphed in just one of their last three Premier Division outings.

To make matters worse, St Pat's have lost three, drawn two and won only three of their eight most recent league fixtures, a poor return of 11 points from a possible 24.

Some supporters will take heart from the fact that the Saints beat Wexford 2-1 in the FAI Cup last Friday, but detractors would highlight that they needed a 90th-minute winner from Aidan Keena to get the better of a second-tier opponent.

Meanwhile, Ciaran Kilduff's Dundalk enjoyed a strong run of four victories and one draw between mid-May and mid-June, but they have since fallen into a losing pattern.

In their most recent league clash, the Lilywhites were downed 2-1 by struggling Drogheda - the Drogs' first win in nine games - a dire result that extended their run of defeats to three matches.

That poor form has seen Kilduff's men's European hopes severely damaged, given they are now fourth, seven points behind their third-placed opponents.

However, Dundalk brought their losing streak to an end last Friday, progressing beyond St Mocha's FC with a convincing 3-1 triumph over the Leinster Senior League side.

The win may have been against a weaker team, but fans will be hoping that it marks a turning point for the Lilywhites, who will also draw confidence ahead of this week's clash from their record of one defeat in their last six away games.

St Patrick's Athletic League of Ireland Premier form:

St Patrick's Athletic form (all competitions):

Dundalk League of Ireland Premier form:

Dundalk form (all competitions):

Team News

St Patrick's Athletic right-back Ronan Boyce has missed the last two games, and is expected to be sidelined once again on Friday, with James Brown likely flank centre-backs Sean Hoare, Joe Redmond and Luke Turner in his place.

At the opposite end of the pitch, right winger Zack Elbouzedi and striker Max Mata are both set to sit out as they recover from injuries of their own, though Aidan Keena and Kian Leavy should be on hand to support striker Ryan Edmondson up top.

Dundalk are without a couple of forwards, too, as winger Norman Garbett and striker Daniel Mullen continue work their way into contention following respective hamstring and muscle injuries.

In their absence, striker Leonardo Gaxha could be joined in attack by a trio of Mayowa Animasahun, Ronan Teahan and Daryl Horgan.

Elsewhere, goalkeeper Conor Kearns remains out due to the knee injury he sustained in April, while centre-back Conor O'Keeffe has missed the last 14 matches and will be unavailable on Friday.

With that in mind, Kilduff could opt for a centre-half pairing of Robert Cornwall and Bobby Burns in front of shot-stopper Enda Minogue.

St Patrick's Athletic possible starting lineup:

Rogers; Redmond, Hoare, Turner; Brown, Keena, Lennon, Palmer, McClelland; Leavy, Keena; Edmondson

Dundalk possible starting lineup:

Minogue; J Wilson, Cornwall, Burns, T Wilson; Buckley, Dervin; Animasahun, Teahan, Horgan; Gaxha

We say: St Patrick's Athletic 1-1 Dundalk

St Pat's have been inconsistent and far from their best in recent weeks, but they will be confident of avoiding defeat at the very least on Friday, motivated by the chance to stay within sight of Shamrock Rovers.

Dundalk may have lost three league games on the bounce ahead of this match, but their resilient away record suggests that they could hold out for a point on the road.

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