St Patrick’s Athletic (Home)
- St Patrick’s Athletic will fly over to Waterford on Friday to take on the Blues for a Premier Division 2026 clash that has major implications at both ends of the table.
- St Patrick’s have been excellent in the early stages of the season and currently sit second with 13 points from six games, having won four of their previous five league matches.
- Stephen Kenny’s men have been a dream to watch in the 4-3-3, with an abundance of wide attacking talent making plenty of ground and a solid back four anchored by keeper Joseph Anang.
- St Pat’s have kept multiple shutouts in the first six games of the campaign, while Ryan Edmondson and Aidan Keena have been St Pat’s two top scorers so far and both are on the end of some lovely play.
Waterford (Away)
- Jon Daly’s Waterford have opted for a more compact, vertical system in recent times and will look to create turnovers and hit St Pat’s on the break.
- Captain Pádraig Amond will be the focal point of any attacking move, but the goal-drought in 2026 for the hosts is a major problem, even with Tom Lonergan providing an excellent foil on set pieces and as a hold-up player.
Head-to-Head
- St Pat’s have won four of their last five league games, scoring 12 goals in the process.
- St Pat’s have been dominant in this fixture in recent years, unbeaten in the last three meetings.
Key Players
- St Pat’s have kept multiple shutouts in the first six games of the campaign, while Ryan Edmondson and Aidan Keena have been St Pat’s two top scorers so far and both are on the end of some lovely play.
- Captain Pádraig Amond will be the focal point of any attacking move, but the goal-drought in 2026 for the hosts is a major problem, even with Tom Lonergan providing an excellent foil on set pieces and as a hold-up player.
Betting Insights
- The odds for this game have St.Pat’s as heavy favorites at 1.74, and Waterford are 4.6 outsiders, which is very attractive considering the quality of the two sides, the current league positions and the form going into the game.
- The odds of 3.6 for the draw look extremely generous too, but we’re going for St. Pats to win and the over 2.5 goals market at 1.83 is worth taking.
Prediction
- St.Pat’s can get this game into a rhythm and control the pace, while Waterford will look to press and get numbers behind the ball to create chances on the counterattack.
- A classic possession vs. press matchup should see the quality of St.Pat’s come to the fore in a 2-0 or 2-1 win.
