John Caulfield and his Galway United side head east to face Conference League side Shelbourne, as they play their first game since the passing of the late Ollie Horgan.
Last time out
Galway United lost 2-1 to Derry in Eamon Deacy Park in the last round of fixtures in the Premier Division. Jimmy Keohane scored for the Tribesmen. The mood in Galway is bound to be solemn after the passing of former assistant manager Ollie Horgan whom was a LOI legend.
Joey O Brien’s reds come into this game on the back of a historic 2-0 win for Irish football in Windsor Park against Linfield. The UEFA Conference League play off which was an all Ireland affair which Shelbourne won 5-1 on aggregate. They will join Shamrock Rovers in the league phase of the competition. Shels will face Premier League side Crystal Palace in what is one of the eye catching fixtures of the league phase.
Previous meetings
27.06.25 Galway 1-1 Shelbourne
21.4.25 Shelbourne 2-2 Galway
3.03.25 Galway 1-1 Shelbourne
Key players
Galway United: I think Jimmy Keohane is an underrated player. He scored against Derry in Galways last fixture and he is proving to be a consistent player under Caulfield once again.
Shelbourne: Ali Coote is definitely one to watch out for with 6 goals this season for the Dublin Outfit. He also scored against Linfield in the European qualifier.
My Prediction
Shelbourne 1-1 Galway
I think the sides will share the points in this fixture. Galway are fighting to avoid being dragged right into relegation playoff battle with Sligo Rovers now level on points with their Connacht Rivals. The 3 previous meetings have resulted in the points being shared on each occasion so it wouldn’t be a surprise if we had a clean sweep of draws!
This is the last fixture before exciting fixtures in the men’s FAI Cup quarter finals next week.
Key information
Kick off @Tolka Park- 5pm Sunday 5th September
Where to watch- LOI TV
Referee- Neil Doyle
Betting Odds- Shelbourne to win @19/20, Draw @23/10, Galway@27/10