Preview: St Patrick's Athletic vs. Shamrock Rovers - prediction, team news, lineups

The visitors, meanwhile, will be aiming to extend the seven-point lead they currently enjoy at the top of the Premier Division.

Match preview

The hosts enter Monday's contest in fourth place, and they are currently enjoying a promising run of form having lost only one of their previous four matches.

A comfortable 3-0 home win over Bohemians was followed by a 1-0 defeat to Dundalk, but St Patrick's Athletic bounced back with another home victory, edging out UCD via a 2-1 scoreline.

They looked set to follow that result with three more points on Friday after a Billy King brace gave his side a two-goal lead against Finn Harps, however, an 88th-minute Jose Carrillo effort set up a dramatic finale.

St Patrick's Athletic were just seconds away from clinching back-to-back victories, but an Ethan Boyle equaliser in the sixth minute of stoppage time ensured the spoils were shared.

Although they squandered a two-goal lead in their away meeting with Finn Harps, the Saints have the chance to clinch a third consecutive home victory on Monday as they look to reduce the five-point gap to the Europa Conference League places.

While their hosts are aiming to finish inside the top three, Shamrock Rovers are looking to win their third consecutive league title.

Shamrock Rovers currently hold a seven-point lead over Dundalk, although the league leaders have played one game more than the second-placed side.

They have relied heavily on their home form, picking 31 of their 45 points from home matches this season, although they still boast the third-best away record in the Premier Division.

After enjoying a six-game unbeaten away league run, Shamrock experienced a dip in form on their travels, with their last two away matches ending in defeat.

However, they have had no such problems in home surroundings, and they maintained their unbeaten home league record by clinching a narrow 1-0 win over Bohemians that keeps them on track to retain their Premier Division title.

St Patrick's Athletic League of Ireland Premier form:

Shamrock Rovers League of Ireland Premier form:

Team News

Joe Redmond and Tom Grivosti are expected to continue their partnership in the centre of the St Patrick's defence, with Sam Curtis and Anthony Breslin set to operate as full-backs.

After dropping down to the bench against Finn Harps, Jason McClelland could return to the starting lineup for Monday's contest.

Meanwhile, King will retain his place in the starting XI after scoring both goals in Friday's 2-0 win.

As for the visitors, Ronan Finn is expected to come into the starting lineup after serving a one-match suspension.

If Finn does return to the starting lineup then Aaron Greene could drop out of the side in what could be the only change to the lineup that started the 1-0 win over Bohemians.

After scoring the winner on Friday, Rory Gaffney will continue to lead the line for the visitors on Monday.

St Patrick's Athletic possible starting lineup:

Anang; Curtis, Redmond, Grivosti, Breslin; O'Reilly, Forrester; Burns, King, McClelland; E. Doyle

Shamrock Rovers possible starting lineup:

Mannus; Hoare, Lopes, Grace; Lyons, Watts, O'Neill, Kavanagh; Finn, Mandroiu, Gaffney

We say: St Patrick's Athletic 1-2 Shamrock Rovers

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