There was much optimism around St Patrick's Athletic in the spring but the Inchicore side now need to put some wins together to prevent their place in the title race from slipping away.
St Pat's lost just one of their first nine League of Ireland Premier Division games but Stephen Kenny's side have been wayward more recently with just three wins in nine attempts since the start of May.
They welcome a Galway United side reeling from a minor goalkeeping crisis as boss John Caulfield, whose side have won only two of their last 11 games, was forced to make a short-term signing for cover this week.
St Patrick's Athletic v Galway United Tips Summary
Best Bet - St Patrick's Athletic to win & both teams to score @ 21/10
Alternative Bet - Ryan Edmondson to score anytime @ 21/20
Bet Builder - Over 2 goals, Chris Forrester to score first & Most Corners - St Patrick's Athletic @ 12/1
St Patrick's Athletic v Galway United Prediction
Best Bet: St Patrick's Athletic to win & both teams to score @ 21/10
Galway were dealt a blow by the surprise departure of Evan Watts, with parent club Swansea City recalling the goalkeeper from a season-long loan spell.
Caulfield responded by signing Connor Gleeson on a short-term contract after his season with the county's senior inter-county GAA squad came to an end in Croke Park in Sunday's loss to Dublin.
Gleeson last played for Galway United in 2018 and it remains to be seen whether he or Hugo Cunha will get the gloves at Richmond Park.
The 24-year-old Portuguese-born keeper has yet to feature after joining Galway in pre-season.
Galway are on a run of just two wins in 11 games, with five defeats, though they have scored in all bar one of those outings.
St Pat's have lost two of their last four, although some mitigation is offered as those losses were on the road against Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians – the only sides above them in the league table.
Kenny's side have two games in hand on the top two and will move to within three points of leaders Rovers if they win those games.
They should prove too strong for Galway but the Tribesmen can get on the scoresheet for the 14th time in 15 games.
Alternative Bet: Ryan Edmondson to score anytime @ 21/20
Ryan Edmondson broke the deadlock when these sides met at Eamonn Deacy Park in May and the visiting side appeared to be cruising when Chris Forrester doubled their advantage early in the second half, before a double from Aaron Bolger saw Galway claim a point.
That was Edmondson's seventh goal of the season for St Pat's after he left behind a spell in Australia's A-League for a move to Dublin.
He has praised the competitive nature of the Premier Division and has scored eight goals in 22 for his new side. He leads the line well, works hard and can fire past Galway for a second time.
St Patrick's Athletic v Galway United Bet Builder Tip
Over 2 goals
Chris Forrester to score first
Most Corners - St Patrick's Athletic
Pays 12/1
St Pat's don't concede many at home but Galway have scored on four of their last six visits to Inchicore and both teams have netted in all but one of the last 13 games involving the Tribesmen, so this should be an entertaining contest with goals.
Forrester was on target in the most recent meeting of these sides in May and he slotted home a classy goal at this venue in the win over Sligo a fortnight ago. The St Pat's midfielder could be the man to break the deadlock.
The home side should win the corner count. Pats average more than six corners per game, while Galway come in at just 4.57.
The visiting side had more corners at Eamonn Deacy Park in May and also had an 8-4 advantage in the pair’s first meeting of the season at this venue in March.
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Key Match Stats
St Patrick's Athletic have won eight of 11 home league games (D1, L2), scoring 24 goals and conceding six
Galway have won just two of 11 on the road (D4, L5), scoring 13 goals and conceding 16
St Pat's have managed five clean sheets in 11 home league games
Both teams have scored in 12 of Galway's last 13 Premier Division games
St Pat's are unbeaten in six games against Galway at Richmond Park (W4, D2)
Both teams have found the net in four of those six encounters in Inchicore
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
