Shamrock Rovers vs Shelbourne Prediction: Match preview and expert tips for Friday's Republic of Ireland Premier League clash.

Third placed Shamrock Rovers bid to close the gap on Irish Premier League leaders Shelbourne. The home side come into their 19th league game of the season trailing the visitors by six points. Third place would take them into the Conference League and they are four points clear of Galway but have played two games more than them. With Galway home to bottom-of-the-table Dundalk this weekend, the pressure is on Shamrock to get some points against Shelbourne. Rovers have won four of their nine home league games with only one defeat, a 3-1 loss to Waterford earlier this month. Their most recent league fixture saw them beat Derry City 1-0 at home. That was a welcome victory after a run of just two points from four league fixtures. Six of their last nine home league matches have seen both teams get on the scoresheet but this weekend play a side that aren't too easy to score against.

Shelbourne lead the Irish Premier League by four points from Derry City with only the side finishing top goes into the Champions League. They are seeking a third straight league win but had to battle hard in their most recent match. Shelbourne won 2-1 at St Patrick's Athletic but needed a 96th minute winner. They are unbeaten in their last seven league matches but drawn three in a row before the two recent wins. On the road, they have won four, drawn the same amount and suffered one loss. That was at Galway in mid-April, losing 1-0. Only seven goals have been conceded in their nine away league fixtures and they've only scored 11 themselves. We go for under 2.5 goals to be scored in this match.

This looks like being a tight match between two of the top three sides in the Irish Premier League. Shamrock Rovers are under pressure in terms of European qualification so won't want to lose this game. Shelbourne have a four-point lead at the top of the table and on a good unbeaten run at present.

Prediction: Shamrock

Shamrock vs Shelbourne stream and TV listing

International：LOITV

Ireland：LOITV

International：Score808 808ball