Reigning League of Ireland champions Shelbourne make the trip to Turners Cross to face Cork City on Friday night.
Despite winning the title last year, a repeat looks unlikely, but this will still be an important game in Shelbourne's pursuit for European qualification.
Match preview
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After waiting nearly two decades for an Irish title, Damien Duff delivered one to the club last season, but it does look highly likely they will concede it to Shamrock Rovers this time around.
The Shels are a long way off the runaway leaders, but there is still so much to play for, with the five clubs below Shamrock separated by just three points.
Duff's men prop up that cluster of clubs down in sixth, but a favourable fixture this week could catapult them back into the European places.
Shelbourne capitalised on a favourable fixture last weekend, beating bottom-of-the-table Sligo Rovers 3-2, but they have no wins in their last five on the road, including defeats in both of the last two, against Bohemians and Derry City.
Winning the title last season also means Shelbourne will have Champions League qualification distractions in the coming months, but it has been a long time coming, after they had to withdraw due to financial difficulties after being crowned Irish champions in 2006.
Cork are worrying at the opposite end of the table, with the 2017 champions struggling on their return to the top flight.
Gerard Nash's men already look cut adrift alongside Sligo in the bottom two, having picked up just 12 points from their opening 17 games this season.
The gap to Waterford, who are just one place above the drop zone, is already a whopping 10 points, so it looks likely Cork are now battling with Sligo to avoid the one automatic relegation place.
Cork are now six games without a win, and they have lost four in a row heading into this fixture, but they have scored at least once in all of those games, so it is clear where their main problems lie.
Nash has seen his side struggle to keep goals out at the other end, especially after going in front, because they were beaten by St Patricks and Drogheda away from home despite going in front.
This is the last round of fixtures before the international break, so the hosts will hope to use that home advantage to narrow the gap on the clubs above them, with Waterford and Galway both facing the top two this weekend.
Team News
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Cork will be without Ruairi Keating for this clash, as the attacker has missed the last two months with an Achilles injury, while Harry Nevin is also a doubt after missing last week's defeat to Galway.
Trio Benny Couto, Conor Drinan and Malik Dijksteel have also been absent of late, but they are all closing in on returns to the first-team squad.
Shelbourne will have Sean Gannon back from suspension in this one, but they could be without goalkeeper Conor Kearns in goal again after his injury against Drogheda, so Lorcan Healy may have to deputise once more.
John Martin was drafted in for a rare start last weekend - just his third in two months - but he repaid the faith shown in him by Duff, scoring a hat trick as they beat Sligo 3-2.
Elsewhere on the injury list for the visitors, Patrick Barrett, Sam Bone, Sean Boyd and Lewis Temple are all expected to remain out ahead of this trip to Cork.
Cork City possible starting lineup:
Troost; Crowley, Daniels, Lyons, McLaughlin, Mbeng; C O'Sullivan, Murray, Shipston, Anderson; Fitzpatrick
Shelbourne possible starting lineup:
Healy; Gannon, Coyle, Ledwidge, Wilson; Lunney, McInroy, Chapman; Caffrey, Martin, Wood
We say: Cork City 1-2 Shelbourne
Shelbourne may not be hitting the same heights as last season, but they are well in the hunt for European football, and they should have too much here for a Cork side battling relegation.
The hosts have lost four successive league matches, and even though they are finding the net with regularity, they have been incapable of transferring that into many points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
