Derry City v Sligo

Derry City v Sligo Rovers Preview

The Irish top flight action returns on Friday night and features this upcoming clash in the Premier Division between third-placed Derry City and their seventh-placed visitors, Sligo Rovers, at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium with the hosts desperate to hold onto their top three position in the table.

Recent results have been something of a disappointment though for Derry City as the hosts have managed to grind out just the one league win from their last seven matches overall, which came in the form of a 2-0 home win against Cork City but three draws and three defeats have now placed their third spot in the Premier Division under threat.

Although Derry City have picked up useful points by way of draws with Shelbourne (home and away) and Bohemians, defeats to Sligo Rovers, St Patrick's Athletic and Shamrock Rovers have threatened to undo Derry's previous solid work.

It should be noted however that all three of these recent losses were incurred on their travels while six of these seven games also resulted in Under 2.5 goals; indeed, goals could be at a premium on Friday night as 10 of Derry City's 12 home games to date have also resulted in Under 2.5 goals.

Sligo Rovers halted a four-match slump without a win in the Premier Division last time out when they recorded a welcome 3-1 home win against Bohemians which will see Sligo Rovers in a more confident frame of mind for this upcoming trip to face Derry City on Friday night.

Previous defeats to Bohemians (away), Shamrock Rovers and UCD have resulted in Sligo Rovers occupying a place in the lower half of the Irish top flight table where they trail their third-placed hosts by a significant 14-point margin ahead of Friday night's action.

Recent results have also been disappointing where Sligo Rovers have been concerned as well, as the visitors have collected just two league wins out of their last nine matches, both of which were achieved on home soil at their Showgrounds ground, while results away from home continue to be a concern for John Russell's side.

With just one away win in their last seven attempts on the road whilst also losing five of these games, the goals market appeals here as four of Sligo Rovers' seven away games have resulted in Under 2.5 goals.

Derry City v Sligo Rovers Verdict

Previous history between Derry City and Sligo Rovers certainly suggest we could be in for a low-scoring affair at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium on Friday night as no fewer than seven of the last eight meetings between these two clubs have resulted in Under 2.5 goals and Friday night may be no exception either.

Therefore, our main bet will be Under 2.5 goals @ 1.66

Other side bets worth considering:

Draw @ 3.80

Correct score: 1-1 @ 8.00