Places in the First Division playoff final are up for grabs on Tuesday night.
LOI First Division Playoff Double
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UCD AFC v Longford Town, 19:45, LOI TV
The Students are firmly in the driving seat after a 0-2 win in Longford on Saturday night, but De Town have fond playoff memories at the UCD Bowl and will fully believe a turnaround is possible if they can score first on Tuesday night.
Wayne Groves’ side missed a couple of decent chances in the first leg, with Longford failing to find the back of the net for the first time in six matches. UCD continued their excellent run in front of goal by scoring in their thirteenth straight match, so Longford may find it difficult to keep the back door shut as they commit bodies forward in an attempt to rescue the tie.
The Midlanders are expected to be backed by a strong traveling support and with conditions possibly on the nasty side, it may call for a more agricultural approach. Longford possess a real aerial threat with the likes of six-foot-three centre-half Cole Omorehiomwan in their ranks, and he may be deployed as a makeshift centre forward in the closing stages if Longford are still chasing a goal.
UCD showed in the first leg that they do boast slightly better quality players, with the likes of Louis Dignam and Ciaran Behan capable of taking control of the midfield and starving the opposition of possession. Longford may need to try and bypass the midfield as a result and play more direct up to Daragh Murtagh, who is so strong when playing with his back to goal.
Longford have the tools to make this an interesting night at the Bowl, but they may have just left themselves with too much to do against a slightly classier opponent.
BEST BET: Longford win & BTTS (19/4)
Bray Wanderers v Kerry FC, 19:45, LOI TV
The First Division away form table is well worth a look. Cork City and Cobh Ramblers ended the season as having the best road records with eight wins apiece from 18 such matches. In fact, Ramblers lost 10 of their 18 away assignments, which tells you how difficult teams found it playing away from home this term.
As a result, Bray Wanderers can be delighted to have taken away a victory from Mounthawk Park at the weekend. A 1-2 aggregate lead puts the Seagulls firmly in control of this tie, and their extra firepower in attack should see them into the play-off final on Sunday.
Bray Wanderers were the joint-second-highest goalscorers in the division, but they also conceded the same number of goals (53) as the team that finished second bottom.
Kerry FC have now scored at least once in their last five fixtures, and having won 0-4 here earlier in the season, they’ll believe a comeback is possible, but Bray have been knocking on the door of the Premier Division for a few seasons now and they may just be slightly further along in their development compared to a Kerry side who are on this stage for the first time.
BEST BET: Bray Wanderers win & BTTS (9/4)
LOI First Division Playoff Tips
- Longford to win & BTTS (v UCD) (19/4)
- Bray to win & BTTS (v Kerry FC) (9/4)
- Odds: 17.68/1
