- Bohemians are enjoying a revival of form after two defeats in June.
- Bohs are 2nd in the League of Ireland Premier Division with 43 points from 25 games in 2026.
Bohs can play St. Joseph's off the park
St. Joseph's travel to Dalymount Park on Thursday for a first leg tussle in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League Qualification 2026. These two clubs meet for the first time in a competitive game and St. Joseph's are here as Gibraltar qualifiers, coming off the back of a solid season where they finished as one of the top sides in the 2025 - 26 Gibraltar Football League.
Javi Forján has double-digit scoring form and adds a second real threat in behind Pablo Rodríguez, a real poacher who can punish a defence in transition. Alberto Cifuentes has his side set up to be compact, results-driven and tough to break down, they'll come into this game with their match-fit attacking players ready to counter and punish Bohemians if they get too sloppy on the ball.
This is a true case of possession versus counterpunch, and if Bohs can break the first line cleanly in the opening exchanges, they should dominate this tie with a home leg to come. Should St. Joseph's get their players behind the ball and keep it compact, they can make this a messy, awkward fixture and perhaps nick a goal in transition or from a set-piece.
Bohemians have better quality all over the pitch
Alan Reynolds' side have had a resurgence in recent weeks after back to back defeats in the League of Ireland in June. They've won three in a row since then and the 3-0 win at Shelbourne shows that they have their swagger back in the front third. Colm Whelan has been ever present through that run and he is a reliable focal point for Bohs, and Ross Tierney has that little bit of drive and set-piece quality from midfield that makes them really dangerous when they win the ball back and play vertical football.
The Irish side have the better side, a more solid domestic base and have two clean sheet wins in their recent run, so I expect Alan Reynolds' team to have the sharper of the two sides and I'll take Bohs to win to nil here at 1.25.
Dalymount Park should be dry and fast for this one and Bohemians will want to kickstart their European campaign with a positive result on the front foot, and that suits them, so I'm going for a home win in this first leg. A narrow margin of victory seems likely and I'll cover the draw at 6.4 as well.
