Expert League of Ireland predictions and football betting tips from Johnny Ward

Best bets

Shamrock Rovers to win Premier Division (8-11) & Cork City to win First Division (8-15)
5pts double Paddy Power 

Shelbourne to win Premier Division without Shamrock Rovers and Derry 
1pt each-way 11-2 Paddy Power

Frantz Pierrot top Premier Division goalscorer 
1pt 25-1 Paddy Power

League of Ireland predictions

Shamrock Rovers' quest for a record fifth successive League of Ireland title seems unlikely to hit many bumps in the road.

The first of their four straight wins came in 2020 when the season was shortened to 18 games because of the pandemic. But Rovers have still won the league by an average of 14 points during their four-year reign and that includes last season when they started poorly.

Jack Byrne missed a major chunk of 2023 but is on the cusp of a return and Rovers have made some really good signings in the off-season, most notably Aaron McEneff. 

The only minor concern is the unproven Leon Pohls between the sticks but Lee Steacy is a decent back-up option in goal.

In short, it is very difficult to oppose Stephen Bradley's title favourites.

If Derry had beaten Rovers in their final clash at Brandywell last season it would have been really interesting. They look primed to give it a good go, with Patrick Hoban having the potential to score freely. They need Colm Whelan fit and firing, but they have an excellent squad nonetheless.

It might not have been a coincidence that Derry's 2023 ambitions were derailed by injuries, with manager Ruaidhri Higgins clearly no fan of the Brandywell's artificial surface. They still have a fair bit to find to win the league, especially with Rovers looking highly likely to improve this season.

St Patrick's certainly failed to convince in the President's Cup final on Friday, although it would be unwise to read a lot into that 3-1 defeat to Shamrock Rovers.

Read Johnny Ward's opening-round predictions here

Stopper Marcelo Pitaluga, on loan from Liverpool, endured a shaky start. He can only improve but Saints have lost some key players, especially Sam Curtis to Sheffield United.

Paddy Power make Shelbourne 11-2 in the market without the big two and that looks an intriguing each-way angle into the title race. 

Shels have been improving steadily under Damien Duff, and while Pat's are worthy favourites in that market, the rest make little appeal, for all that Dundalk are really hard to assess.

Drogheda United could have a gem in Frantz Pierrot, who scored 21 goals in the First Division last season. He is worth a poke at 25-1 to be the top flight's leading marksman.

The betting on who finishes bottom is interesting but extremely difficult to predict, unlike the market to win the First Division.

Cork City have made a great appointment in Tim Clancy and they are miles ahead of the part-time clubs in terms of resources. It would be a monumental failure if City do not bounce straight back to the top flight. 

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