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

When to bet by

7.45pm Friday

Best bets

Draw-Drogheda double result v UCD
1pt 100-30 BoyleSports

Athlone Town +1.5 on Asian handicap v Galway
2pts 3-4 bet365

League of Ireland weekend predictions

With four Irish clubs in European action this week there are only three games in the Premier Division this weekend.

Shelbourne will be desperate to narrow the gap on Dublin rivals Bohemians when they meet on Friday night. 

Shels now have huge financial backing and are only four points adrift of Bohs, so will see Friday's encounter as an opportunity to put some pressure on their fourth-placed visitors. However, it is hard to make a case for them being a value bet at the prices.

Under 2.5 goals would seem the obvious play given goals have been in short supply in Shelbourne's games this season, but that outcome is priced accordingly at 1-2. 

Shels were involved in a rare game where over 2.5-goals backers collected last weekend when they hammered UCD 4-0, underlining just how poor College have been this season.

Remarkably, Drogheda are shorter to beat UCD than Shels were a week ago, although Drogs are not exactly prolific. 

It is likely that College will put huge effort into keeping it tight in the first half before coming up short, so a small wager on the Draw-Drogheda double result is advised.

Galway have the First Division title at their mercy but the runaway leaders still look too short to win at Athlone. United tend to struggle on artificial surfaces and Town can at least keep it relatively close. 

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