- Athlone Town have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five First Division 2026 fixtures.
- Kerry FC have won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five First Division 2026 matches.
- Kerry FC's Niall Brookwell has scored two of his team's five goals in their last five First Division 2026 games.
Kerry FC are a wily and dangerous outfit
Athlone Town have a strong home record in the First Division 2026, where they have won seven, drawn six and lost only two of their 15 matches played this season. In their most recent away game, The Town came away with a 1-0 victory against Finn Harps before sharing the spoils in a 2-2 draw with University College Dublin. On the other hand, Kerry FC's form away from home has been patchy, with The Kingdom winning one and losing one of their two away matches in their latest run of fixtures.
In their most recent meeting three months ago in the First Division 2026, Kerry FC beat Athlone Town 1-0 on home turf and, despite the recent form of the hosts, The Kingdom look to have the hosts' number as the Town are winless in their previous three home games against Kerry.
A tight tussle in Athlone
Kerry FC currently occupy 5th place in the First Division 2026 table with 42 points from their 31 matches so far, while Athlone Town are two places and one point behind in 7th with 41 points from 31 matches.
Colin Healy's men have a well-balanced 4-2-3-1 system with plenty of width and a high-pressing double-pivot that aims to pinch the ball back in their opponents' half. The Town are a little more compact and direct under Sean O'Connor and their fast breaks will come up against Kerry's favourite move - overloading the flanks to stretch the play. However, it could be the turnovers in the middle that decide this match.
Back the draw or Athlone to edge it
This is a very tough game to call, with each side looking well matched. The odds of 29/25 for the home side look too short considering that they are three games winless at home to Kerry and the visitors are just behind them at 9/4. We're leaning the other way in this one, with the draw of 47/20 looking a tad too long. Under 2.5 goals looks like a smart punt at 91/100 to suit a cagey affair in the play-off race.
