Fighting for a place in the top three of the League of Ireland's Premier Division, St Patrick's Athletic will welcome Shelbourne to Richmond Park on Monday.

Saints will be looking to get back on tracking after dropping more points last time out, while the Reds will be hoping to bounce back from Friday's defeat.

Match preview

Stephen Kenny's St Pats harbour ambitions of qualifying for European competition this season, but having won just one of their four most recent games - drawing two and losing one - they are in mixed form.

Saints played out a disappointing 0-0 stalemate against rivals Drogheda United on Friday, and the manager will be frustrated that his team were unable to find the back of the net despite their 19 shots.

That draw left Kenny's side fourth in the table with 30 points, and given that they are just one behind the Drogs in third and three behind second-placed Bohemians, failing to win last time out seems a significant missed opportunity.

However, as the hosts aim to make up for dropping points, they will take confidence from their excellent home record that features an unbeaten streak of more than 12 months across all competitions.

On the other hand, with just two wins from their last six on their own turf, including back-to-back draws at Richmond Park prior to this clash, it remains to be seen whether they can make the most of their chance on Monday. 

Meanwhile, Damien Duff's Shelbourne could reduce the gap to the top three to just one point should they win, but with only one victory in the past month, they will have to defy their form to do so.

On Friday, the Reds were beaten 2-1 in a Dublin derby at Tolka Park by top-of-the-table Shamrock Rovers, and the boss was angered post-match by what he described as a lack of 'class' and 'humility' from their opponents amidst a feud between himself and Hoops head-coach Stephen Bradley.

Regardless, that defeat saw Duff's men drop down to sixth, where their 27-point tally has them one behind fifth-placed Derry City, three behind their opponents and four shy of Drogheda in the top three.

As the visitors look to move on from their disappointing loss, their travelling record does not make for good reading for fans, who will be all too aware that their club have failed to win any of their last six on the road, drawing four and losing two, having most recently taken maximum points away from home against Sligo Rovers back in March.

A seventh victory of the season would be enough to see Shelbourne leapfrog Derry and - if they can better their goal difference - St Pats, though a second consecutive defeat could cause them to fall down to seventh if Galway United can take advantage.

St Patrick's Athletic League of Ireland Premier form:

Shelbourne League of Ireland Premier form:

Team News

17-year-old striker Mason Melia came into the St Pats starting lineup last time out, though after the team blanked in that game, Aidan Keena could return on Monday.

Joining Keena up top should be wide men Simon Power and Zachary Elbouzedi, though Jake Mulraney will be ready to add some firepower from the bench after a strong substitute appearance against Drogheda.

As for Shelbourne, captain Mark Coyle is likely to be joined in midfield by Tyreke Wilson and Kerr McInroy, and the trio will be shielding Duff's back three of Sean Gannon, Patrick Barrett and Kameron Ledwidge.

Out wide, Evan Caffrey and James Norris will be providing attacking support from wing-back for a strike partnership of Ellis Chapman and John Martin.

St Patrick's Athletic possible starting lineup:

Anang; McLaughlin, Redmond, Grivosti, Breslin; Leavy, Lennon, McClelland; Elbouzedi, Melia, Power

Shelbourne possible starting lineup:

Kearns; Caffrey, Gannon, Barrett, Ledwidge, Norris; Wilson, Coyle, McInroy; Chapman, Martin

We say: St Patrick's Athletic 2-1 Shelbourne

St Pats may be in mixed form at the moment, but their resilience at home is undeniable, and they will be expecting to take all three points on Monday.

Adding to this sense of anticipation is Shelbourne's lacklustre travelling form that features zero wins from their last six on the road.

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