James McClean to make his first Premier Division appearance in 14 years as Derry City welcome Sligo Rovers to Brandywell in season opener.
Derry got their season off to flying start with a President’s Cup victory over Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght. A returning James McClean would provide the assist for the only goal in the game, scored by Darragh Markey.
Sligo come off a 3-game winning streak in pre-season, including wins over First Division sides Finn Harps and UCD, and an impressive 6-0 hiding of Galway United.
Derry and Sligo have already met this year during pre-season preparations, with Sligo defeating Derry 1-0 thanks to a Will Fitzgerald goal shortly after half-time in a behind closed doors friendly.
Key Information
Kick Off: 7:45, February 6th
Where to Watch: LOITV
Betting Odds: Derry @1/2, Draw @14/5. Sligo @5/1
Referee: Neil Doyle
Team News
Both teams have all players available for their season-opener on Friday Night.
Derry City could field an unchanged starting 11 from the side that beat Shamrock Rovers in the Presidents Cup final last Saturday.
For Sligo Rovers, Shane Blaney, Carl McHugh, Maï Traoré, Archie Meekison, Alex Nolan, Ryan O’Kane and Jeannot Esua are all in contention to make their debuts.
Key Statistics
Derry City picked up the most red cards in the 2025 League Of Ireland Premier Division (6) and the 3rd most yellow cards (96)
Only Cork City conceded more goals away from home than Sligo Rovers last season, with the Bit O’Red conceding 33 times on the road. That is 61% of all goals Sligo Rovers conceded in 2025.
Players to Watch
James McClean is the obvious choice for Derry in this match, with his 16 goal contributions over the past 2 seasons with Wrexham, and his prolonged career among the Irish senior squad making him a huge focus among fans.
Swansea City loanee Josh Thomas will look to continue where he left off with Drogheda last season, scoring 6 goals in 17 games. The striker started for Derry last week against Shamrock Rovers.
For Sligo, John Russell will look for other forwards to step up as last season’s top goalscorer Owen Elding left the club in a move to Scottish Premier League side Hibernian last week.
Jad Hakiki will look to assume a starring role for Sligo this year looking improve on his tally of 6 goals last year. The 21 year old appeared 5 times for the Irish U21’s during Euro’s qualifications at the end of 2025, notching himself a goal against Slovakia.
Previous Meetings
05/10/25 – Derry City 1-0 Sligo Rovers
12/07/25 – Sligo Rovers 2-0 Derry City
22/04/25 – Derry City 3-0 Sligo Rovers
15/03/25 – Sligo Rovers 0-1 Derry City