St Patrick’s Athletic sit third in the League Of Ireland and will be confident they can beat Waterford for the third time this season when they head south for Friday’s clash.
Their hosts have won just two of their 11 games on their own patch, but strong performances in wins over Dundalk and Derry in their last two games suggest there could be plenty of goals.
Waterford v St Patrick’s Athletic Tips Summary
Best Bet - St Patrick’s Athletic to win & over 2.5 goals @ 6/4
Alternative Bet - Ryan Edmondson to score at any time @ 11/8
Bet Builder - Over 1.5 St Patrick’s Athletic goals, over nine corners and Tommy Lonergan to score at any time @ 17/2
Waterford v St Patrick’s Athletic Prediction
Best Bet: St Patrick’s Athletic to win & over 2.5 goals @ 6/4
Waterford knew they were likely to be involved in a relegation battle after failing to win any of their first 16 games of the League of Ireland campaign and while consecutive wins over Dundalk and Derry City will have given them a lift, they could struggle at home to third-placed St Patrick’s Athletic on Friday.
They have gained just two home wins this season, the first of which was against Drogheda when they needed an injury-time penalty to get over the line and the other was a 4-0 win over basement boys Sligo Rovers.
St Patrick’s have been a little inconsistent and have not been freescoring on the road, but they have won 2-0 and 4-1 against Waterford already this term.
They are rightly strong favourites and with all but one of Waterford’s last 10 games generating at least three goals, backing the visitors to win a match with over 2.5 goals looks the way forward.
Alternative Bet: Ryan Edmondson to score at any time @ 11/8
Ryan Edmondson has nine goals for St Pat’s and he looks capable of adding to his tally on Friday.
He ended a run of six games without a goal with the opener in last week’s 3-0 win over Galway and he has had 19 attempts on goal in his last three games, seven of which have been on target, so he clearly has his eye in.
Waterford v St Patrick’s Athletic Bet Builder Tip
Over 1.5 St Patrick’s Athletic goals
Over nine corners
Tommy Lonergan to score at any time
Pays 17/2
Waterford have conceded at least twice in eight of their last 10 matches and while St Patrick’s Athletic have scored just 11 goals on the road, they are capable of finding the net on at least two occasions.
The Dubliners won 2-0 at Waterford in March and recorded a 4-1 home win against Friday’s opponents when they met in May, so don’t be surprised to see the visitors score more than one goal.
There could also be plenty of corners as Athletic’s average of 6.13 per game is the highest in the League of Ireland.
Waterford gain more than five per home game and it is worth chancing that there will be at least 10 flag-kicks as the hosts concede a average of 7.27 when they are playing at home.
Their striker Tommy Lonergan has been performing well in a struggling team and looks one to watch on Friday.
He is the league’s top goalscorer with 12 and his confidence should be sky high after netting twice in both of Waterford’s recent wins over Dundalk and Derry City.
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Key Match Stats
Waterford have the leakiest defence in the League of Ireland, conceding 46 goals in 23 games
Waterford have won just two of their 11 home matches this season
Waterford striker Tommy Lonergan is the top goalscorer in the top flight with 12 goals
St Patrick’s have the best defensive record in the division, conceding 19 goals in 23 outings
St Pat’s won 2-0 when the teams met in Waterford in March
Over 2.5 goals has been a winning bet in nine of Waterford’s last 10 matches
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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.
