Fresh from their impressive victory over Bohemians, Waterford will now be looking to topple defending champions Shelbourne as the two teams meet at the Regional Sports Centre this Monday night.

While the Blues are in high spirits after ending their four-match winless run, the Reds are still searching for consistency in what has been a frustrating campaign.

Match preview

Waterford manager John Coleman was able to breathe a sigh of relief as he watched his men beat third-placed Bohemians in impressive fashion.

Prior to the match, the 62-year-old boss endured a frustrating four-match winless run over the course of the last month – one which has seen his side slip to eighth in the standings.

While the 3-1 defeat to league leaders Shamrock Rovers did not come as a surprise, conceding a stoppage-time equaliser against Drogheda and losing to a poor Sligo Rovers side were undoubtedly big blows.

Nevertheless, Friday’s victory over Bohemians is not only a big confidence booster, but it also leaves Waterford just seven points adrift of the top three and the coveted European places.

With 16 games remaining, the Blues will be looking to put themselves in the top three conversation, but that can only be done with a string of positive results.

Waterford will now be looking to bank successive victories for the first time since early May when they welcome an inconsistent Shelbourne side to the RSC.

The defending champions are not even in the title conversation this season, having won just five of their last 20 matches.

Damien Duff’s men appeared to have turned a corner last week with a 1-0 win over St Patricks, but they could not follow it up, losing 1-0 at home to Derry City just four days later.

Shelbourne will be looking to shake off their recent woes as they look ahead to a tasty Champions League qualifying clash with Northern Ireland’s Linfield in July.

But before the Reds can plan for their continental excursions, their immediate attention will be on a tricky Waterford side – one which beat them 1-0 at the start of May.

Waterford United League of Ireland Premier form:

Waterford United form (all competitions):

Shelbourne League of Ireland Premier form:

Shelbourne form (all competitions):

Team News

Waterford head into Monday’s fixture without the injured trio of Trae Coyle, Matthew Smith and Kacper Radkowski.

Rowan McDonald is expected to keep his spot in the starting team, having marked his return from suspension with a solid performance against Bohemians.

Kyle Whyte was dropped to the bench with an illness last Friday but could now return to the starting team.

Shelbourne have seen Paddy Barrett return to action in recent weeks after missing 12 games with a torn quad muscle. The 31-year-old is likely to make his fourth successive start.

Sean Boyd has also made a recent return from injury, though Duff has taken a far more cautious approach with the forward, handing him a limited number of minutes.

Conor Kearns and Sam Bone are both doubts for Monday’s match, while Sean Gannon misses out through suspension.

Waterford United possible starting lineup: McMullan; Horton, Burke, Leahy; McDonald, Olayinka, McMenamy, Glenfield; Noonan, Amond, Lonergan

Shelbourne possible starting lineup: Kearns; Wilson, Molloy, Barrett, Ledwidge; Lunney, M. Coyle; Caffrey, Jarvis, A. Coote; Boyd

We say: Waterford United 2-1 Shelbourne

With a big win over Bohemians under their belts, Waterford will certainly fancy their chances on Monday night.

Shelbourne are desperately lacking consistency, and we are backing the home team to hand the defending champions another loss.

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