- Waterford have won their last two games, beating Dundalk and Derry City, after losing 0-2 at home to Shamrock Rovers.
- St Patrick's have won three of their last five, including a 3-0 home win over Galway United and a 0-0 draw with Sligo Rovers.
- Both sides have four wins, three draws and three defeats across their respective last 10 games across all competitions.
Pats are the preferred choice to win at Waterford RSC
St Patrick's Athletic are the clear betting favorite in the match betting for Friday's Premier Division 2026 clash at Waterford RSC, where they will be looking for their first away win in five across all competitions (3 draws, 2 defeats).
The market has Pats at 27/50 with the hosts out at 112/25 and the draw at 13/4, which is definitely leaning the wrong way on this fixture - in our view. Waterford have looked solid since the end of May, but they don't have enough about them to suggest that they can get a result against one of the better sides in the Irish top flight at the moment.
They are unbeaten in four of their last five home games across all competitions (2 wins, 2 draws, 1 defeat) and have won two away matches against Dundalk and Derry, so Graham Coughlan has certainly made them a survival-first side.
Lonergan can make a difference for Waterford
He has his team set up to keep it tight and allow the ball to be played in front of them as much as possible so that they can transition quickly and cause damage on the break or in set-piece situations. With Lonergan, they have the main man to do just that, with him scoring five of their 14 goals in his last five games to take his tally to 12 for the season in the Premier Division 2026. Stephen Kenny has got Pats playing a high-tempo, possession-based game, with some structured pressing and some very good positional play. There are usually goals in the games they play, so the Over 2.5 at 18/25 and BTTS - Yes at 77/100 are the smart reads here, although we believe the visitors can edge it in a game that should have a real chance of both teams scoring. Pats are a quality side and have looked excellent in their past three games, winning 3-0 at home to Galway United, drawing 0-0 with Sligo Rovers and losing 2-0 away to Bohemians. The hosts' 0-2 home defeat to Shamrock Rovers suggests they can be rattled, but we believe Pats will have to come on strong to get all three points.
