Bohemians -v- Shamrock Rovers - Where can I watch it and what do I need to know?

Bohemians take on Shamrock Rovers on Friday night in this season’s penultimate edition of one of Irish football’s most hotly-anticipated and keenly-contested fixtures.

There’s no love lost between these two sides who are separated not only by the River Liffey but decades of history, mutual animosity and numerous battles for league titles.

The two sides haven’t been involved in a title run-in together since 2010, when Rovers clinched the league title on the final day, but both sides have seen an improvement in fortunes this year.

Rovers led the league for much of the first half of the season, and were 13 points clear at one point, but have since slipped to second, five points behind Dundalk with a game in hand.

Bohemians have also slid back somewhat in recent weeks, having been hot on the tails of Rovers and Dundalk, but remain in third place with 34 points, ten behind their Dublin Derby rivals.

Remarkably, Bohemians have won six of the past seven meetings – and the other game ended in a scoreless draw – as they’ve built up a hoodoo over their fiercest rivals.

Each of the last two meetings have seen Rovers players shown early red cards, with Aaron Greene dismissed at Dalymount in February while Trevor Clarke and Lee Grace saw red in Tallaght.

Can Keith Long’s Bohemians maintain their remarkable run of form against the Hoops? Or can Stephen Bradley’s side finally get one over on the Gypsies?

What time is the match?

Kick-off is 8pm.



Where is the match?

Dalymount Park, Phibsboro, Dublin 7.

Who is the referee?

Rob Rogers of Dublin will take charge of the game.

Are there tickets available?

The game has been completely sold out for some time. Rovers exhausted their away allocation several weeks ago while Bohemians have warned no there no tickets on sale on the day.



Where can I watch it?

The game will be shown live in the Republic of Ireland on Eir Sport 1 with coverage beginning at 7.30pm.

Extratime.ie will have around-the-grounds reports from Sligo Rovers v Cork City and St Patrick’s Athletic v Finn Harps at full time.

Can I stream it online?

Eir broadband, landline and TV customers can avail of Eir Sport’s online streaming service here.

Who are they key players to watch?

For Bohemians, goalkeeper James Talbot is the man to watch following his call-up to the Republic of Ireland senior team for this month’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Denmark and Gibraltar.

The 22-year-old joined the Gypsies before Christmas after returning from a spell with Sunderland and has kept 13 clean sheets in 21 games in all competitions so far.

The Gypsies’ defensive record is only bettered by the top two and much of that is down to the calm assurance of Talbot, whose agility and shot-stopping ability are further assets.

On the Shamrock Rovers side, all eyes will likely be on Jack Byrne who, like Talbot, was recently called up to the Ireland squad but missed out on the final selection last time around.

The 23-year-old former Manchester City midfielder was the victim of the tactical shuffle following Greene’s sending-off in the 1-0 defeat at Dalymount in February.

Byrne netted his fourth goal of the season from range in the 2-2 draw with Derry City last Saturday and he’ll look to show some of the playmaking ability that earned him an Ireland call.

Team news:

Bohs have a fairly hefty injury list to contend with as Rob Cornwall, Dinny Corcoran, Danny Grant and Cristian Magerusan are ruled out with injury. 

Derek Pender and James Finnerty both miss out due to suspension while Darragh Leahy is unavailable with international commitments at the Toulon Tournament.

Sean Kavanagh returns for Shamrock Rovers as both Sam Bone and Aaron McEneff are ruled out of action with injury.

Read Andrew Dempsey’s match preview here.

Betting:

Bohemians 7/2; Draw 23/10; Shamrock Rovers 5/6.

Full list of SSE Airtricity League fixtures (all 7.45pm kick-off unless stated):

Premier Division

Bohemians -v- Shamrock Rovers (8pm)

St Patrick’s Athletic -v- Finn Harps

Sligo Rovers -v- Cork City

First Division

Shelbourne -v- Drogheda United

Bray Wanderers -v- Longford Town

Athlone Town -v- Cabinteely

Cobh Ramblers -v- Galway United

Wexford -v- Limerick