LOI preview: Top two meet after Friday night setbacks

The top two teams in the League of Ireland Premier Division clash this evening as Declan Devine brings his Bohemians side to his former and hometown club Derry City in the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.

Both outfits suffered rare setbacks on Friday, with Bohs losing their unbeaten home record and the Candystripes going down to a first loss in all competitions to Drogheda United.

The chasing pack closed the gap as a result, with Shamrock Rovers ominously moving up the table thanks to their win over their Dublin rivals.

Derry boss Ruaidhri Higgins is happy to have a game on the horizon so quickly after a "poor night at the office" for his charges.

"We didn't play well against Drogheda, there’s no getting away from that, but with a short turnaround, we obviously now need to switch our attention to Monday."

"It’s a great game for us. Bohs are a good side and they’ve started the season really well."

The return of Devine to Derry is one talking point around the fixture, yet Higgins feel it’s largely irrelevant.

"We won’t be thinking about that and I’m fairly sure Declan won’t either. It’s Derry City against Bohemians and hopefully it will be a good game in front of a big noisy Brandywell crowd."

Cameron McJannet is suspended for Derry after his red card last Friday.

The Hoops, meanwhile, are looking to make it three wins on the spin when struggling UCD visit Tallaght Stadium

Fresh from their Dublin derby victory in Dalymount Park, they can make further strides in rising up the rankings following their slow start.

College finally stopped their run of defeats with a stalemate against Shelbourne, but a trip to Tallaght will be the last thing they wanted on the back of such a result.

Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley will respect UCD