Derry City v Sligo

Derry City vs Sligo Rovers Preview

Derry City's promising six-match unbeaten sequence in the Irish Premier Division was brought to a halt last week when they were dealt a 1-0 defeat away from home at third placed Shamrock Rovers but Friday night's hosts now have an excellent opportunity to return to winning ways when they welcome lowly Sligo Rovers to their Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium as Derry City look to close the gap on the league leaders, Shelbourne.

Derry City had previously picked up important wins against St Patrick's Athletic (home and away), Waterford and Bohemians along with points collected in draws with Galway United and Shelbourne, so the hosts will still feel confident about their chances here on Friday night as they look to take advantage of a poorly performing Sligo Rovers outfit.

Results and form on home soil at their Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium has been pretty impressive too as Derry City have won six of their nine home games to date in this season's Premier Division, while the bigger picture shows Derry City have lost just four out of their last 22 league matches overall.

Ruaidhri Higgins' side have also slipped to just two defeats in their last 20 home games as well in the Premier Division.

Sligo Rovers were dealt a heavy 3-0 loss at home to Bohemians last week in the Irish top flight which has left the visitors sitting third from bottom in the table and just three points above Drogheda United and the relegation play-off spot ahead of this tough looking trip to take on a high-flying Derry City outfit in their own backyard.

To make matters worse, Sligo Rovers have managed to register just one win from their last nine games overall which came in the shape of a 1-0 home win against St Patrick's Athletic but the visitors have also slipped to five defeats within these previous nine games which does not bode well for John Russell's side especially as three of these five defeats were inflicted upon Sligo Rovers on their travels.

Indeed, Sligo Rovers have found life hard going on the road so far this season as the visitors have claimed just two away wins to date this term, while the bigger picture paints an even darker period for the visitors as they have managed to capture just two victories from their previous 18 outings on the road.

12 defeats within these 18 away games suggests Sligo Rovers should brace themselves for further disappointment on Friday night at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.

Derry City v Sligo Rovers Verdict

Derry City's form on home soil this season has been pretty solid and the hosts should complete a comfortable win here against a poor-travelling Sligo Rovers outfit.

Therefore, our main bet will be BTTS No @ 1.50

Other side bets worth considering:

Derry City win & BTTS No @ 1.90

Correct Score: Derry City 2-0 @ 5.50