St Pat’s
- Stephen Kenny’s St Patrick’s Athletic have been in excellent shape so far in 2026, winning their last three Premier Division matches and currently sitting 2nd on 10 points in the early-season table.
- Kenny’s side have a clear philosophy and system which suits them, playing a possession-based game with high pressing when they don’t have it.
- They are well organised in both possession and out of possession, but have the structure to switch and the squad depth to do some serious damage on the counter if needed.
- The squad has the attacking quality to hurt opponents, with Kian Leavy’s late runs and set piece ability combining well with Ryan Edmondson’s aerial dominance and super-sub performances.
- Edmondson is in fine form, bagging a brace against Shelbourne, but St Pat’s also have the platform of a solid defensive unit, which is well organised by keeper Joseph Anang, who made his 100th appearance recently.
Derry City
- Derry City are having a mixed start to the season, losing to Shamrock Rovers last time out to make it two wins, one draw and two losses from their first five matches.
- Tiernan Lynch’s side play with a back three and wing-backs, aiming to make rapid transitions and exploiting the wide areas behind the opposition’s full-backs.
- They have plenty of quality in the first team, with Michael Duffy their creative heart and James McClean providing the experience, quality and delivery from wide areas.
- Dipo Akinyemi and Liam Boyce bring depth and quality to their attack, but injuries in the forward area have limited the options up top for Lynch, who will need to remain pragmatic if they are to have a chance on Monday.
Head-to-Head
- St Pat’s have won two of the last five meetings, with all matches tightly contested and low-scoring.
- Derry City are 4th on 7 points from five games, two of which have been defeats.
Key Players
- The squad has the attacking quality to hurt opponents, with Kian Leavy’s late runs and set piece ability combining well with Ryan Edmondson’s aerial dominance and super-sub performances.
- They have plenty of quality in the first team, with Michael Duffy their creative heart and James McClean providing the experience, quality and delivery from wide areas.
- Dipo Akinyemi and Liam Boyce bring depth and quality to their attack, but injuries in the forward area have limited the options up top for Lynch.
Betting Insights
The odds reflect that, with St Pat’s at 2.54 , Derry at 2.94 and the draw at 3.0 .
Prediction
This should be a classic game of possession v transition, and we think St Pat’s have the momentum and the home advantage to edge this one.
