Waterford United vs UCD Predictions

Can UCD end their awful run of form and move off the bottom of the Irish Premier Division this weekend? They are looking to boost their hopes of avoiding the drop this term, but they head to a Waterford side who need to claim a win to secure their hopes of staying up. The hosts have slipped towards the drop zone, so it’s paramount that they can get a result from this clash to put a little more distance between them and the bottom two places. Will the Blues be able to get a victory here?

The hosts have just come through a defeat to another side at the bottom of the table, as they lost 3-2 at Finn Harps last Friday. They are now pushing to return to form, having fallen into eighth place. That means they’re only a spot above the relegation playoff spot, although they do have a 10 point lead over ninth-placed Finn Harps. Waterford have the chance to move closer to safety here, but will they take this chance to return to winning ways?

UCD aren’t like Finn Harps, who recorded their second straight win with that victory over the Blues. The visitors make this trip south knowing that they’re on an awful run of form, one which has made them prime candidates for the drop. The visitors are coming here with eight straight defeats behind them, a run which they added to with home losses to Shamrock Rovers and Cork City in the last week. Will they be walking away with nothing once again?

Waterford have been priced up as the obvious favourites, which comes after UCD’s awful form. There’s not much value in backing Waterford, but they should secure a fourth home victory of the campaign in this clash. While we expect the Blues to claim the points, we aren’t going with the home win as our main tip here. If they are going to claim a win, they’re likely to follow up their recent form, which has seen plenty of goals.

Waterford have scored twice or more in their last three games, while their last outing at home saw them pull off a 3-3 draw with Sligo Rovers. The hosts have hit 1.75 goals per game at their own ground, while UCD have conceded at least twice in their last five trips. We expect the hosts to continue their fine record in front of goal, so over 1.5 Waterford Team Goals is our prediction for Friday’s clash.