- Sligo Rovers will try to lock the game down early and force Janesboro to play catch-up.
- Janesboro are buzzing for this cup-night occasion after beating St Michael's in extra time.
- Janesboro's Dylan Moriarty scored twice to change the course of their FAI Cup first-round game.
Sligo can get game under control early
Sligo Rovers should get the job done in their FAI Cup second-round clash with Janesboro on Saturday, but the hosts are in good enough form to keep the home crowd guessing until the final whistle.
Sligo are 7/50 to beat Janesboro and, although the oddsmakers are right to be on the away side, we have to take Janesboro at 17/2 and the draw at 13/2 as well. That's because the game could go to penalties and, in cup competitions, there are so many variables in play that a cup giant-killing is never a foregone conclusion.
Janesboro and Sligo Rovers have never played a senior competitive fixture before, so the cups gods have delivered a David-vs-Goliath clash for us. Sligo's recent form has been mixed with a 3-2 away defeat to Galway United, 1-2 home defeat to Shamrock Rovers and 2-2 draw with Shelbourne.
O’Rahilly is Janesboro’s biggest weapon
John Russell's recent departure adds a layer of uncertainty to Sligo's prep, although the interim setup will probably keep the same tactical blueprint.
Sligo's style under the club's recent setup has been positive and front-foot, generally a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system with good width, plenty of pressing and some swift vertical transitions. Will Fitzgerald is one of the most reliable attacking influences on the pitch, offering goals, leadership and the kind of sharp movement that can crack a low block.
Josh O'Rahilly brings an extra attacking edge for Janesboro, who have a small competitive sample size to go on this year. Kai Joyce has been a regular outlet in their local-league lineups of late, but we will take Sligo to have the squad depth and professional edge to outplay them for long periods on Saturday.
Janesboro’s set-piece plan will be to slow it down
Janesboro will almost certainly sit deep and make Sligo do all the work, which means they will have to force the play to change course or play at a slower tempo.
That means this game could easily turn into a set-piece battle and Janesboro will have a fair chance of getting their best chance at a corner kick or free-kick. Cian Kavanagh adds a penalty-box presence to a Sligo Rovers frontline that Sam Sargeant has been a regular presence in goal during the summer of upheaval in the Bit O'Red camp.
The bit of the draw that suits us best here is Sligo Rovers to win to nil as the gap in class between the two clubs is enough to cover the handicap markets. But Janesboro will make them work for it, so we are settling on the cup classic of 2-0 or 3-0 to the away team here.
