LOI Preview: Rearranged Dublin derby between Shelbourne and St Patrick's Athletic sure to have spark

Shelbourne v St Patrick's Athletic, Tolka Park, 7.45pm

Shelbourne and St Patrick's Athletic finally meet tonight in a fixture originally set to take place in the summer which stoked lots of ill-feeling for the home side.

Pat's were beaten at home by Derry City last Friday meaning they will stay fourth regardless of the outcome of this game in north Dublin.

As always, the top three in the SSE Airtricity League are guaranteed a place in the Europa Conference League, along with the Extra.ie FAI Cup winner.

The Emmet Road club relinquished their grasp of the trophy in the first round against Waterford in the summer, meaning their only route to Europe next season is via the league.

Pat's need to get back to winning ways quickly as they trail Dundalk in third spot by five points.

It comes with the caveat that if the cup winner finishes in the top three in the league, then their European place goes to fourth place, so the Saints could be hoping that the Candystripes come good at the Aviva Stadium next month.

Interestingly, the only other Premier Division club that has a shout in the cup is Shelbourne. Their most recent run in the top flight only lasted one season, but things are going much better this time around for the Richmond Road men.

They can't be caught by the bottom two so they've already bettered their 2020 campaign. A victory tonight would put them within striking distance of Sligo Rovers in sixth.

Shels have First Division opposition - in the shape of Waterford - in the cup semi-final. A trip to Lansdowne Road for a cup final, for just the second time this century, would a great achievement in Damien Duff's first season as a manager, and victory there would see them heading into Europe.

That's all a long way away yet, and