Shelbourne vs Derry City Predictions

• Under 2.5 goals has been a winning bet in each of the last six meetings.
• Shelbourne have five clean sheets in their last eight league games.
• Derry have three shut-outs in their last six league games.

Expect a cagey affair in title tussle

There is a huge game in Ireland’s Premier Division on Monday as pacesetters Shelbourne host closest challengers Derry.

Victory for either side would be huge, Derry’s superior goal difference would see them leapfrog the leaders and a win for the Shels would see them open up a six-point lead.

However, both sides may view this more as a ‘must not lose’ tie rather than a ‘must win’ one and that could lead to a cagey affair at Tolka Park.

With that in mind, under 2.5 goals looks a strong play here as both teams are strong defensively. Derry do boast the best attack in the league with 40 goals scored in 25 games but they are facing the best defence, with Shelbourne conceding on average just 0.6 goals per-game, and they probably won’t be willing to take too many risks as a point on the road would be seen as a positive result here.

Goals tend to be in short supply when these sides meet as under 2.5 has been a winning bet in each of the last six head-to-head games, including three 0-0 draws, and seven of Shelbourne’s last nine across all comps have seen fewer than three goals in total.

A 0-0 draw is the correct score pick as Shelbourne have five shut-outs in their last eight league games and Derry have three in their last six, and the fear of losing may well outweigh the desire to win for both of these title hopefuls on Monday.

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