- St Patrick's Athletic are the favourites at 43/100 and Galway United are 267/50 outsiders ahead of Friday's Premier Division clash at Richmond Park.
- St Pat's have won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five matches, while Galway United have won one, drawn one and lost three of their last five.
- St Pat's have averaged 2.20 goals-per-game at home since the start of the season and have bagged 11 goals at Richmond Park.
St Patricks favourites to take the spoils
St Patrick's Athletic head into Friday's Premier Division match as the clear favourites at 43/100, with Galway United a huge price at 267/50.
That's probably about right, as St Pat's are a well-drilled outfit that knows how to win games, while Galway are a little all over the place and not always reliable.
Stephen Kenny's men set up in a 3-5-2 system that is structured and usually possession-based, with the wing-backs doing the dirty work.
St Patricks have beaten Sligo Rovers at home and then lost 2-0 away to Bohemian FC, so the change in level is obvious.
Across their last 10 in all competitions, St Pats are 4-3-3, which is solid, but not so good that they're bulletproof.
Edward McCarthy has chipped in with a couple of goals in Galway's last five, but the real threat is Kristopher Twardek, who leads the scoring charts for the league with six from 17.
Paul Doolin's side are a front-foot, pressing unit, and have been a little better on the road of late, taking one win and three draws from their last five.
Galway beat Derry City 2-1 at Eamonn Deacy Park a couple of weeks ago, but defeats to Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers have deflated that.
So, they are in need of a lift, and this game will be a good test of how they are coping in the Premier Division.
Galway are a good price for the draw at 15/4, as St Pats will want to control the game and not go hunting for a goal.
But the better bet here is Over 2.5 goals at 13/20, as St Pats have hit 11 in their five home games this term and Galway have been getting through them.
Both teams to score is a shade under odds-on at 17/20 and the hosts should control this game, so Galway will have to nick a goal to make it spicy, which they are capable of.
St Pats should win but it might not be that pretty and we'll take the goals rather than the hosts to oblige.
