- The value in this fixture could be on the double chance given the head-to-head record and the surprise factor.
- Dundalk will be keen to avoid a banana skin in their 100th year.
- St Mochta's are in good cup form, beating Wayside Celtic 4-3 to get here, but Dundalk are clearly the class act.
No banana skin for Dundalk
A classic pro versus non-league affair is on the cards in Dublin this Friday as Premier Division Dundalk take on St Mochta's of the Leinster Senior League at Oriel Park. The gap in divisions and quality is wide, but there is a bit of a recent history between the two sides that can give the hosts hope of flipping the script in this one.
Dundalk lead the senior cup head-to-head, most recently winning 5-1 in the 2021 FAI Cup. But St Mochta's flipped that script with a 2-0 upset in the Leinster Senior Cup in March 2024 to show that cup football can bite back, even when the class is clearly on the other side of the pitch.
Visitors should dictate the pace
Dundalk sit fourth in the 2026 SSE Airtricity Premier Division with approximately 35 points from 23 or 24 games, keeping them in the European race. Recent league form has been a little patchy, losing three straight games following back-to-back wins over Galway United and Bohemians.
Ciarán Kilduff has Dundalk playing front-foot football, pressing with purpose, looking to boss games through possession and width.
St Mochta’s have enough bite to keep it interesting
Brian McCarthy's men are compact, stubborn and will set up in a low block and counterattack through numbers against the visitors. But McCarthy has an ace up his sleeve in the proven cup threat that is Gareth McCaffrey. Dean Casey adds a goal threat from midfield and can hurt Dundalk on dead balls, so the hosts will not be passive and can cause problems in the right areas.
Daryl Horgan is Dundalk's creative spark and he should be able to get the visitors on the front foot, creating chances and getting his team to play on the break. Gbemi Arubi is their top scorer in the league in 2026 and can give them a sharp edge in the box, while Horgan should get plenty of opportunity to whip in dead balls to add to Dundalk's pressure.
Dundalk should not have to walk over hosts
With home advantage for St Mochta's and the stronger squad, Dundalk should control the tie and get the win but St Mochta's have shown they have the bite to make it more of a fixture than the 3/10 bookies odds suggest. At 27/4, the home side look overpriced on the head-to-head, while the draw is a decent price at 4/1, but we'll take the 2-0 or 2-1 Dundalk correct score option as our main play in this clash.
Dundalk should spread the ball wide and get it in behind St Mochta's full backs, who will look to clog the middle and counter into space behind the full-backs.
