Cork City vs Bray Wanderers Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Cork City have a game in hand on the league leaders Dundalk and sit just two points behind their title rivals, so a win this weekend could move Cork into the top spot. Bray Wanderers have just eight points from their seventeen league games this season and prop up the Irish Premier Division table. Even a victory for the visitors wouldn’t be enough to lift them off the bottom and the odds are heavily against Bray claiming even a point.

Cork City hit Bohemians for four when the pair met for their reverse league fixture in March, with the hosts managing just two shots on target and no comers whatsoever. The deadlock was broken as early as the eighth minute when McLoughlin forced the ball past Dillon in the Bray Wanderers goal. Just one goal separated the sides at the break, but after Barry McNamee made it 2-0 in the sixty-fifth minute, the floodgates opened. McLoughlin scored his second goal to make it 3-0 just two minutes after the visitors had doubled their advantage and fewer than sixty-seconds later Sadlier scored the fourth and final goal of the game.

Cork City are not only the bookmakers clear favourites to take all three points on Friday, but they also head into the game as the form favourites after they picked up three wins, one draw, and suffered just two defeats in their last six matches. Bray’s form represents their league position, with the Premier Divisions bottom club winning and drawing just one of their last six matches and losing the other four. The stats don’t bode well for Bray this weekend as the visitors have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last six matches, while Cork have kept three clean sheets during that same period of games. The last five matches between these two clubs have all ended in victory for Cork City, and four of those wins have been accompanied by clean sheets.

Cummins top scores for the hosts with seven league goals to his name so far this season, and teammate Sadlier has scored four of his six league goals from the penalty spot. Coughlin and McCabe both have three goals each for Bray this season and the fact that they top score for the visitors only highlights how disappointing the divisions bottom club have been in front of goal.

We’re confident that Cork City will claim all three points on Friday and keep a clean sheet in the process. The visitors aren’t good in front of goal, especially away from home, so a clean sheet is highly likely for the title challengers. As for a final score, we’er going with a comfortable 3-0 win for Cork City against their struggling visitors.

Cork City Predicted Lineup: McNulty, Bennett, Horgan, Griffin, McLoughlin, Keohane, McCormack, McNamee, Buckley, Cummins, Sheppard.
Bray Wanderers Predicted Lineup: Moran, Kenna, Gorman, Heaney, Lynch, McCabe, O’Conor, Hayes, Galvin, Kelly, Coughlin.