St Patricks Athletic vs Waterford Prediction and Betting Tip - Odds, H2H and Preview Predictions

St Patricks Athletic vs Waterford Preview

Friday’s Irish Premiership action sees a St Patricks Athletic side looking to close the gap to top of the table Shamrock Rovers play hosts to Waterford, who currently languish in seventh, although comfortably clear of the drop zone.

The home side have lost three of their last four, and four of their last six, but the two games in which they have played on their home turf at Richmond have seen them emerge with a win - in fact, Athletic are yet to be beaten at home in 2025, with their last home defeat coming against Dundalk back in June 2024.

Waterford, despite conceding more goals than anyone outside the bottom two, have gone on an excellent run of form, winning four of their last five, keeping clean sheets in two of them. They will be eager to maintain that run when they visit Dublin.

As the game approaches, here is everything you need to know about both sides ahead of kick-off.

Where to Watch

This game will be broadcasted on League of Ireland TV, with kick-off scheduled for 19:45 on Friday evening.

Key Statistics

• Despite all the sides above them conceding fewer goals, St Patricks Athletic boast the most clean sheets in the division, with seven.
• Their defensive record looks less impressive due to conceding nine goals in their last four games, the same number as in the previous 12.
• Along with Bohemian’s, Waterford are the only side in the league yet to draw a game, winning seven and losing nine.
• They have already conceded five penalties this season, a league high.

St Patricks Athletic Preview

St Patricks Athletic Predicted Lineup (4-3-3): Joseph Anang (GK); Anthony Breslin, Sean Hoare, Joe Redmond, Luke Turner; Kian Leavy, Jamie Lennon, Simon Power; Aiden Keena, Mason Melia, Zack Elbouzedi.

After suffering a 4-0 humbling at the hands of Shamrock Rovers last time out, Athletic, who finished third last season and just two points behind their rivals, saw this season’s deficit open to seven points, with Shamrock extending their lead at the top to five points.

The result capped off a poor run of form for the home side, and though they may have marked this game down as winnable earlier in the season, the combination of Waterford’s improvement and their own regression suddenly presents a much trickier task.

They certainly have the recent upper hand over Waterford, winning their last two meetings - but in a long term context, they have struggled, winning just eight of their last 21 clashes, losing 10 of them.

Waterford Preview

Waterford Predicted Lineup (4-3-1-2): Stephen McMullan (GK); Ryan Burke, Darragh Leahy, Kacper Radkowski, Grantg Horton; Kyle White, James Olayinka, Sam Glenfield; Dean McMenamy; Padraig Amond, Tom Lonergan.

With their win streak only coming to an end because of a meeting with Shamrock Rovers last time out, Waterford will not have let that result dictate their mood. They are a club in form, and carry a serious threat to St Patricks top three ambitions here.

An impressive streak of wins by a one goal margins included victories over Derry City, Bohemians and Shelbourne, and while Shamrock may have proved a step too far, Waterford still dominated possession, and had just four fewer shots than their opponents.

Coach John Coleman and his contingent of English players (Waterford boast eight in their squad) appear to have finally found an effective balance to their game, recovering well from a spell that saw them lose seven games in a row between early March and mid-April.

St Patricks Athletic vs Waterford Head to Head

Recent Meetings:

• 28/03/2025: Waterford 1-2 Athletic.
• 20/09/2024: Athletic 3-0 Waterford.
• 04/07/2024: Waterford 1-0 Athletic.
• 19/04/2024: Athletic 1-1 Waterford.
• 04/03/2024: Waterford 3-1 Athletic.

St Patricks Athletic vs Waterford Betting Tip

This meeting showcases two of the leakiest defences in the league - Shelbourne have allowed the most goals of any top flight club, while Waterford’s 26 is beaten only by Cork City and Sligo Rovers.

As a result, it is likely to provide a feast of goals, and we think there is a strong chance both teams will score.

St Patricks Athletic vs Waterford Prediction

St Patricks Athletic 2-2 Waterford

While Athletic are theoretically favourites, their recent form doesn’t sway me to predict a home win. With Waterford only defeat in their last coming to the league leaders, Waterford look the side more likely to take all three points, but Athletic will just about have enough to steal a point.