Cork City will be desperate to improve their standing at the bottom end of the League of Ireland Premier Division table on Friday, when they welcome Shelbourne to Turners Cross.
Following a five-match league winless run, the hosts sit in the relegation playoff place, five points adrift of automatic safety, while their visitors are 12 points better off in sixth spot after 24 outings.
Match preview
After winning promotion back to the League of Ireland Premier Division last season, Cork City have endured a tough campaign in the top flight thus far, and they immediately found themselves around the bottom end of the table, having earned just two victories and nine points from their opening 15 outings between mid-February and mid-May.
That tough start culminated in a run of six straight defeats for the Rebel Army, with long-serving manager Colin Healy departing after the fourth of those, a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Bohemians, and while temporary boss Liam Buckley was unable to inspire an instant turnaround, kicking off with defeats to St Patrick's Athletic and Dundalk, Cork City did then bounce back in eye-catching fashion.
They ended the rut with a 1-0 victory over Sligo Rovers and quickly improved their position in the fight at the bottom of the table as they built a run of four straight triumphs, having also beaten Shamrock Rovers, Drogheda United and Bohemians, but they now head into Friday's meeting having failed to add another notch to their wins column in the Irish top flight in their five attempts since.
Following losses to Dundalk and Derry City, the Rebel Army twice came from behind late on to earn points from 1-1 draws with Drogheda and St Patrick's Athletic, with the latter ending level thanks to Ruairi Keating's 93rd-minute equaliser, but they were unable to build on those comebacks in their latest Premier Division outing, suffering a 3-0 defeat in an important trip to fellow strugglers Sligo Rovers as Max Mata and Stefan Radosavljevic got on the scoresheet for the hosts alongside a Conor Drinan own goal.
Now on the back of a 2-0 victory away at Treaty United in the FAI Cup first round on Saturday, in which Cian Coleman and Tunde Owolabi found the net to fire their side through and book a meeting with Waterford, Cork City will now turn their attention back to the league and aim to end the five-match winless run to close the four-point gap to eighth-placed Drogheda United.
They meet a visiting side who are hoping to return to their best after a slight dip in form in recent weeks, in what has been a positive campaign on the whole for Shelbourne.
Following a seventh-placed finish last term, the Reds have collected 35 points from their opening 24 matches this year, with only league leaders Shamrock Rovers having suffered fewer than their five defeats.
The high point for Damien Duff's side came between mid-April and mid-May, as they earned 16 points from an eight-game span in which they went unbeaten, and their last league loss came in a tough trip to second-placed St Patrick's Athletic late last month, as Jake Mulraney hit the only goal of the game.
That loss was preceded by a disappointing draw with Sligo Rovers, and they have shared points in two of their three league games since, too, firstly playing out a 1-1 draw at home to Derry City before returning to winning ways with a 4-0 beating of basement side University College Dublin, courtesy of goals from Jack Moylan, Jonathan Lunney, Sean Boyd and John Ross Wilson.
In their most recent league outing, Duff's side met Bohemians and had to settle for a share of the spoils as Moylan saw his opener cancelled out by a Jonathan Afolabi equaliser 10 minutes from time, and after again meeting Bohemians last time out in the FAI Cup and losing 1-0 with Afolabi again on the scoresheet, they will hope to return to winning ways on Friday with Bohemians still just four points better off in fourth spot as well as fifth-placed Dundalk.
Team News
Cork City are still dealing with several injuries in their squad, with defender Jonas Hakkinen, midfielders Albin Winbo and Darragh Crowley and forward Ethon Varian all remaining sidelined.
Their attack will again be led by Ruairi Keating, who has shone in what has been a tough campaign for the Rebel Army, notching up eight top-flight goals, a tally topped by just three other players in the division, while also contributing three assists.
He will likely be joined by Tunde Owolabi, who has chipped in with four league goals of his own, while at the other end of the pitch, Kevin Custovic, Cian Coleman and Josh Honohan should again line up in a back three.
Shelbourne have a key man of their own in attack, with Jack Moylan having also notched up eight league goals so far this season, and he will continue to lead the line in a 4-4-2 shape.
With fellow danger Matty Smith having missed their last four league outings through injury, Moylan should again be joined by Sean Boyd, while Evan Caffrey and Jad Hakiki will look to pose a threat from the wings.
JJ Lunney is a mainstay in midfield and will likely be partnered by Mark Coyle, while Luke Byrne and Paddy Barrett should both keep their places in the middle of the back four.
Cork City possible starting lineup:
Corcoran; Custovic, Coleman, Honohan; Bargary, Bolger, O'Brien-Whitmarsh, Coffey, Drinan; Keating, Owolabi
Shelbourne possible starting lineup:
Kearns; Wilson, Byrne, Barrett, Molloy; Caffrey, Coyle, Lunney, Hakiki; Moylan, Boyd
We say: Cork City 1-2 Shelbourne
Cork City are certainly short on confidence, and while we anticipate a close encounter at Turners Cross, Shelbourne should have enough to leave with all three points as they look to narrow the gap to Bohemians and Dundalk in the top half.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
