LOI preview: Derry City face early test of credentials

When the fixtures came out for the first week of the new season, it's fair to say they were all of intrigue, but without a real blockbuster game.

Tonight certainly brings one. The Ryan McBride Brandywell will be sold out as champions Shamrock Rovers visit potential challengers Derry City.

There is a great excitement in Derry at bringing home the stars names which hail from the city, added to by manager Ruaidhri Higgins signing a new four-year contract this week.

The opening match of the campaign may have been a sign of things to come.

Goals, going in at both ends, helter-skelter football mixed in with moments of real quality, and trying to find a balance with all the new attacking recruits.

Time will be needed for Derry to become the threat to a Hoops squad which took years to build. It's not easy to manage that expectation when every seat is taken in a packed stadium and fans will create a partisan atmosphere.

One thing that hasn’t taken long is the Brandywell being filled with excitement and this game should be a thriller.

The thriller in Oriel Park and Damien Duff’s baptism of fire grabbed all at the attention last week, while it was a routine win against UCD for the league champions.

That was a perfect game for the Stephen Bradley's Hoops to find their feet. This will be a fantastic gauge of both teams in week two of the league.

This is the second of 15 live league games by RTE Sport this season.

TV

Coverage begins on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 730pm.

ONLINE

We'll have a live match tracker on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app.

WEATHER

Thankfully, despite snow this week, conditions will be much better and all five matches should go ahead in the top flight.

THE GAMES

Derry City v Shamrock Rovers, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, 7.45pm