Bohemians vs Finn Harps Predictions

Despite a brilliant start to the season, Bohemians are slipping away from the top sides in the Irish Premier Division. They’ve hit an awful run of form in the league, which leaves them fighting for a Europa League spot rather than the title. However, the Bohs could fall further, unless they take the chance to turn their form around. This weekend’s clash with Finn Harps should see the Bohs bounce back, but how will they perform?

The hosts have got themselves well positioned for a tilt at Europe, but can they kick on from here? They’ve failed to win in five matches in the league, which has left them 12 points shy of the top two. Having hit the half-way point, this does feel like a turning point for the Bohs. Can they make a move in the right direction with a victory, or are they set to come up short once again? They’ve already improved on last season’s sixth place finish, but can they stay in the top three? Monday’s League Cup win over Cork was a return to form, so they’ll be aiming for more of the same here.

Meanwhile, Finn Harps are in a very different position. They went out of the League Cup on Monday, while they are sat in last place in the top flight. The Harps are bottom after picking up just 10 points from their 19 games so far. They’re coming off 13 defeats in 19 matches this term, while they have the league’s second-worst away record, having picked up only three points in nine trips.

The Harps also have a terrible scoring record this term. Of their 15 goals from 19 matches, only two have come on their travels. They’ve averaged just 0.2 goals per game on their travels, while they’ve lost to nil in 67% of their matches on the road. That’s not a great record to take to a Bohs side who have a great defensive record. The hosts have kept a clean sheet in 58% of their league games, conceding just six times in nine at home.

There is one big problem for the hosts, which is scoring goals. They’ve hit just 18 goals themselves, with only eight coming at home. They’ve failed to score in a third of their home games, while they’ve scored more than once on just one occasion. Given their respective records, we don’t see this ending up as a high scoring clash. We’re backing under 2.5 goals here, while we’re going for a 1-0 home win.