League Preview: Bohemians -v- Dundalk

BOHEMIAN FC

Bohemians’ recent form might not be anything to brag about, but they can still lay claim to being the only team to defeat the Lilywhites this season in the league.

However since their win at Oriel Park, Bohemians’ league form has faltered: Six losses from nine games has seen them lose touch with their Dublin rivals in the race for European qualification. They trail Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic by nine points and both teams have games in hand to play.

Last week’s third round cup fixture didn’t provide much relief from their stagnating league form. Bray Wanderers defeated the Bohs twice in the one week. First in the league and then to send them crashing out of the cup courtesy of a rather controversial goal.

Adding insult to injury, Bray received a favourable draw against cup minnows Killester United in the Quarter-Final of the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup. Bohs manager Keith Long is keen to put the cup game behind him and try and rekindle the same form that saw his side run out winners the last time they played the league champions.

“We have to put it behind us as best we can,” said Long. “But, to be fair to the players, we certainly didn’t deserve to lose the game. I still feel we should have had a replay this week, because that wasn’t a goal. We were the better side but maybe we were a little bit one-dimensional in our play.”

Long’s task is not aided by the growing list of injuries at Dalymount Park. Derek Pender, Marc Griffin and Dan Byrne have been sidelined with long-term injuries while midfielders Eoin Wearen (head injury) and Robbie Creevy (knee) missed the cup match last weekend and remain out.

Former Lilywhite Jake Kelly is a doubt as he nurses a hamstring injury picked up in the league game against Bray. While Anto Murphy is sidelined with an abdomen injury.

Although European qualification may look beyond his side, Long is still determined that his players aspire to a strong finish in the last series of games. “We will give everything to every game. That’s the least that the team and the club deserve and we’ll see where that takes us.

“Some games we haven’t been good enough to break down the opposition even when we’ve dominated the possession. It’s a learning curve and we are already planning ahead. But we won’t dilute the team in the coming games and we’ll be giving it a right go to the end.”

Kick-off is at 7.45pm in Dalymount Park.

DUNDALK FC

Following Dundalk’s only league defeat, which was against Bohemians in Oriel Park back in June, the Lilywhites drew three of their following four home games (albeit one was a Champions League fixture against subsequent group stage qualifies FC BATE Borisov). It was form that suggested that last season’s champions, who have led the table virtually all of this season, might falter.

Yet the Lilywhites slogged through it all and still sit ten points clear of second placed Cork City. No doubt a reprisal win on Friday will help The Town forget the Bohemians loss as inconsequential.

In recent games, a healthy 4-1 win versus St Patrick’s Athletic in Oriel Park was followed with an identical score-line in the cup away to Galway United. Impressively there was only four players common to the starting lineup in both matches. In contrast to Bohemians’ ill fortune, Dundalk have a full panel of players to choose from.

When ExtraTime.ie caught up with Gary Rogers recently, he was reluctant to bask in Dundalk’s successes to date – leading the league by ten points and qualifying for the quarter final of the FAI Cup – and pointed out that there is still plenty of hard work to be done to reap the rewards of their endeavours so far.

“There’s still a long way to go. Nothing is won yet, we’ve some massive games to go.

This group is hungry and they’re relentless, we want to win every game we play in. They are probably the fittest team I have ever played with, down to a man. There’s serious quality in this side.. Some of the goals scored this year have been phenomenal.”

Facing into a busy schedule which sees Dundalk play three games in nine days, defender Sean Gannon told DundalkFC.com that he wasn’t looking past what he expects to be a tough game on Friday.

“Bohemians are a really good side,” said Gannon. “They are going to give us a right game at Dalymount and we know that.

"It’s a big week for us overall with the three games but we never look past our next game. It’s the mentality that we have. We are just preparing for Bohemians and they have already beaten us this year so we are going to go there and try win the three points.”

Referee: Padraigh Sutton

MATCH STATS

Dundalk have lost just one of their last 30 matches in the league and that was their defeat to Bohemians two months ago.

Overall, Dundalk haven’t had an away goalless draw in the league since a March 2012 match against Drogheda United – 59 trips ago

The last meeting between these two sides in Dalymount park yielded a 3-0 win for the Lilywhites.

BETTING

Bohs 11/2; Draw 16/5; Dundalk 1/2.

PREDICTION

Bohemians 1 – 3 Dundalk

Bohemians

Injured: Marc Griffin, Dan Byrne, Eoin Wearen (head injury), Robbie Creevy (knee).

Doubtful: Jake Kelly, Anto Murphy.

Suspended: None.

Dundalk

Injured: None.

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: None.