Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne take centre stage on Easter Monday in a game where both sides will be looking to respond from disappointing Good Friday results.
Rovers went into the international break with a positive 2-0 win against Galway but an underwhelming 1-1 draw away at bottom club Waterford puts pressure on Stephen Bradley’s side with big games against title rivals ahead.
Shels’ defensive frailties came back to bite them on Friday evening in the frustrating 3-2 defeat at Tolka Park against Dundalk. Joey O’Brien’s men are yet to win a game at home this season and only an impressive away record has kept them within touching distance of their Dublin rivals in the top three.
Key Information
Kickoff: 17:00
Where to watch: LOI TV
Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan
Betting Odds: Shamrock Rovers @1/1, Draw @11/5 & Shelbourne @5/2
Team News
Adam Brennan was said to be close to being available for the trip down south to the RSC after being forced out of Ireland under 21 duty due to injury so he could be in contention for a return on Monday. Rory Gaffney, Max Kovaleskis and Dan Cleary are all still out with the latter being the closest to a return. Naj Razi made his debut in Waterford.
Joey O’Brien will be desperately hoping for Paddy Barrett to be fit for a return to action on Monday evening. The Shels skipper has been out of action since the 3rd week of the season but is said to be nearing a return. The Reds have been very vulnerable at the back without the aforementioned Paddy Barrett and Odhran Casey. The latter isn’t too far off a return but this game will come too soon. Milan Mbeng, Mipo Odubeko and Sean Moore are still unavailable.
Key Statistics
Shels are yet to beaten on the road this season but are also still without a home win.
Rovers have only won 1 of their last 4 home meetings against Shels.
Key Players
Micheal Noonan announced himself as a LOI player on Easter Monday last year when he scored his first league goal in another Dublin Derby against Bohemians to send Tallaght into raptures. It’s been a disappointing start to this season for the teenager but he looked back to his aggressive, robust self in his substitute appearance on Friday night and will be primed to make an impact if given the chance in this one.
Kerr McInroy scored the decisive goal the last time the two teams met in Tallaght back in October. The Scot was a fantastic addition for The Reds last season and is still one of Joey O’Brien’s most important players. In what has been an unsettled Shels 11 this season, the former Kilmarnock man has remained a fixture in the spine of Joey O’Brien’s Shelbourne team.
Previous Meetings
9/3/26 Shelbourne 2-2 Shamrock Rovers
10/10/25 Shamrock Rovers 0-1 Shelbourne
13/6/25 Shelbourne 1-2 Shamrock Rovers
25/4/25 Shamrock Rovers 2-2 Shelbourne