Drogheda United will look to claim back-to-back victories when they travel to the Waterford Regional Sports Centre for Friday's meeting with Waterford United.
The visitors occupy second place in the League of Ireland Premier Division, while the hosts are currently operating in eighth position.
Match preview
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Waterford are competing in the top flight for the second straight season after avoiding relegation with a seventh-placed finish last term.
The Blues are already in a strong position to avoid the drop in 2025 despite being just one place outside the bottom two.
Having collected 22 points from 17 matches, Waterford are actually closer to the top three than they are the danger zone, boasting a 10-point gap to Cork City and Sligo Rovers, compared to the five-point difference between themselves and Derry City in third position.
Waterford recently enjoyed a four-game winning run before their fine spell of form was brought to an end with a 3-1 home defeat against Shamrock Rovers, representing John Coleman's first win in his third match in charge.
They did at least avoid another defeat in last Friday's away clash against St Patrick's Athletic, with Conan Noonan scoring an 80th-minute equaliser to rescue a 2-2 draw, extending his team's unbeaten away run to three matches.
While they may have netted a couple of goals, Waterford are still the lowest scorers in the top flight this season with just 18 strikes to their name.
Drogheda are competing in a fifth consecutive Premier Division campaign after they successfully negotiated a promotion/relegation playoff against Bray Wanderers last season.
The Drogs have ultimately made the most of their playoff success, having kicked on in 2025 with seven wins, eight draws and just three defeats in 18 league matches.
While they may be six points adrift of the summit, Drogheda will be delighted to be in second place and two points clear of Derry City and Bohemian, especially as they have failed to finish above seventh spot in their last four seasons since returning to the top flight.
Kevin Doherty will be aware that there is still a long way to go in the campaign, but his team will head into Friday's contest in a positive mood after ending a three-game winless run with a narrow 1-0 win over Bohemians, courtesy of Douglas James-Taylor's second-half penalty.
Drogheda will now look to extend their unbeaten streak against Waterford, having won two and drawn one of their previous three meetings, including a 2-0 victory in April's home encounter.
Team News
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The hosts are expected to be without the services of Trae Coyle, Andy Boyle and Matty Smith due to injury.
Defender Kacper Radkowski is set to miss out for the second game in a row after suffering an ankle injury in the defeat to Shamrock Rovers.
Captain Padraig Amond will continue to be one of the main attacking threats, having scored five goals in 17 league matches this season.
As for the visitors, they are unable to call upon forward Josh Thomas, while Paul Doyle is unlikely to feature after missing the last five matches through injury.
Experienced midfielder Ryan Brennan will serve a one-match ban after picking up his fifth yellow card of the league season in the win over Bohemians.
Darragh Markey is pushing to replace Brennan in the starting lineup, having recently returned from injury to make back-to-back substitute appearances.
Waterford United possible starting lineup:
McMullan; Horton, McDonald, Leahy, Burke; Glenfield, Olayinka, White, Noonan; Amond, Lonergan
Drogheda United possible starting lineup:
Dennison; Lambe, Keeley, Quinn, Ahui, Kane; Heeney, Farrell, Markey; Davis, James-Taylor
We say: Waterford United 1-1 Drogheda United
Drogheda may have gotten the better of Waterford in April's home fixture, but they have failed to win any of their last four away league games, and with that in mind, we think the visitors will have to settle for a point in Friday's away clash.
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