Preview: St Patrick's Athletic vs. University College Dublin - prediction, team news, lineups

The visitors are currently bottom of the league table while the hosts are pushing to break into the top three at the moment.

Match preview

St Patrick's Athletic currently find themselves just five points away from the top three right now, giving them plenty to play for as league action returns.

Tim Clancy will be hoping to see an improved performance this time out though after his team was defeated during their most recent outing.

St Patrick's Athletic were beaten 1-0 by Dundalk with Daniel Kelly scoring the only goal of the game, which helped them create some distance between the two teams.

At home they have dealt with a mixed bag of form so far, with four victories, two draws, and a trio of defeats with the focus being on consistency for them.

Earlier this season St Patrick's Athletic did defeat their opponents 2-1, but they left things until late with two goals in the final 15 minutes to secure the result.

The visitors have found life in the top flight difficult this season, having won just one of their 18 matches to this point in the camping.

University College Dublin will take some confidence from the fact that the one win did take place on the road, which they will be hoping to add to on Friday night.

Despite their poor results this season, the squad do find themselves in a position where a victory would allow them to climb above Finn Harps as they can continue to fight for their survival

Their most recent performance saw University College Dublin pick up a point against Sligo Rovers, despite the fact that Karl O'Sullivan gave their opponents the lead at first.

Dylan Duffy was able to equalise in that game to earn his team a crucial result, and now they have the chance to capitalise on that momentum this Friday.

St Patrick's Athletic League of Ireland Premier form:

University College Dublin League of Ireland Premier form:

Team News

St Patrick's Athletic are hopeful that Jamie Lennon will be available for this game, although after a period of absence through injury he might be brought back via the bench to manage his minutes.

Paddy Barrett and James Abankwah have also been pushing to make their return to the team as well following their own fitness issues, but the hosts will be without Adam Murphy who recently had surgery on his hamstring problem.

Duffy will be sure to lead the line for UCD on Friday following his recent performance, and he will likely be working as a lone striker during this game.

The same starting XI might be used this time around due to the fact that the visitors took a point from their last game, as they aim to continue adding to their tally.

St Patrick's Athletic possible starting lineup:

Anang; Grivosti, Redmond, Bermingham; Breslin, McClelland, Forrester, O'Reilly, Curtis; Owolabi, Doyle

University College Dublin possible starting lineup:

Moore; Gallagher, Yoro, Todd, Osam; Keaney, Keane, Caffrey, Kerrigan, Dignam; Duffy

We say: St Patrick's Athletic 2-0 University College Dublin

With the home advantage and the fact that they are in a far stronger league position, St Patrick's Athletic will head into this game as the favourites here.

While the visitors will no doubt provide a fight due to their desperate need for points, this is a game that should be won by the hosts.

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