Shelbourne v St Patrick's Athletic Preview

With 13 games having gone by since the starting pistol shot the 24/25 Premier Division season into action in Ireland, back in February, the action has been as tight as possible in the Ireland's top-flight, with just four points separating first-placed St Patrick's Athletic from seventh-placed Bohemians FC.

The table-toppers after 13 rounds will be hoping to keep hold of their slim grip on the Irish summit, and face a stern challenge from their hosts on Friday night, Shelbourne, who sit just three points away in sixth place.

Where to Watch

This game will be broadcast live on League of Ireland TV, with the action commencing at 7:45PM on Friday, 09/05/25.

Key Statistics

• St Pats hold an incredibly slim lead atop the Premier Division, with only four points separating them from seventh place
• Prolific striker Aidan Keena remarkably returned from a torn hamstring injury in just seven weeks, marking his return to the side with an assist against Galway United in a surprise return start
• **Shelbourne's 16 league strikes so far this term have been well-spread; 10 separate players have found the net for the hosts this season, with only Shamrock Rovers (12) featuring more unique goal-getters
• Shelbourne may have goals in them, but holding leads has been a struggle. Friday's hosts have dropped a total of eight points from winning positions so far this season

Shelbourne Preview

Shelbourne Predicted Lineup: Kearns; Gannon, Bone, Ledwidge, Caffrey, Norris, McInroy, Lunney, Wood, Chapman, Odubeko Last season's champions will be hoping to make a statement against the league leaders on Friday night, defending at their home ground against the team with the incredibly slim grip on the summit of the Premier Division.

The outfit from Drumcondra, Dublin has shown their ability to find the net in these earlish stages of the season, scoring in 10 out of their 13 league fixtures so far. However, with four result-deciding goals having already gone against them, dropping them eight points from winning positions thus far, The Shels will be on the hunt for a statement victory as their visitors cross the capital on Friday night.

St Pats Preview

St Pats Predicted Lineup: Anang; Sjoberg, Redmond, Hoare, Kazeem, Forrester, Lennon, Leavy, Elbouzedi, Keena, Melia The league leaders will be brimming with confidence heading into the fixture, with talented fullback Axel Sjoberg available for selection, serving his second-yellow suspension before the trip to Shelbourne in a midweek clash with Derry City.

The Saints have been an entertaining package to watch so far this season, scoring the tied (with Shamrock Rovers) most goals in the division with 19, as well as conceding the tied (with Drogheda United) least with 11. Boosted by the returning finisher Aidan Keena, who hit five goals in four matches to kick off the season strongly before his injury, the Red Army will be more than ready for their trip across the city.

Shelbourne v St Patrick's Athletic Head-to-Head

Fortune favours the Shels in this one. Out of the 69 battles against each other over the years, Shelbourne have come out on top 29 times compared to St Pats' 22. Earlier this season, the two sides battled to a 0-0 draw following an end-to-end contest.

Shelbourne v St Patrick's Athletic Betting Tip

With St Pats hoping to get onto the front foot early in their bid to solidify their otherwise slim grip on the top spot, you can expect them to try and fly out of the blocks, backed by the returning talents of Keena. They are good value for success in that regard, too, having scored first in 7/13 games this season.

You can snag that market at odds of 5/6 over at Betfred, meaning a £10 stake returns £18.33! A fantastic addition to any accumulators this week.

*Odds correct as of 00:19, 05/05/2025, and are subject to change.

Shelbourne v St Patrick's Athletic Prediction

Shelbourne 1-2 St Pats St Pats have had some great results on their way to sitting atop the Irish league mountain, seeing off stern challenges from the likes of Derry City and Galway United as they got their season underway. Shelbourne will be looking to throw them off their game, and we can see them finding the net against the bookies odds, but we see St Pats having enough to return to their corner of Dublin victoriously.