In the 16th round of the Irish Premier Division on May 17, 2024, Dundalk will face Shamrock Rovers. The hosts have had a dismal start to the season, while the visitors are among the league leaders, vying for the top spot.

Key statistics and trends:

• Dundalk is unbeaten in 5 home matches but has only defeated Bohemians in late April.
• Shamrock Rovers have secured 3 wins and 3 draws in 8 away matches.
• The most common scoreline between the clubs is 1-1 (9 times).
• Shamrock has scored 38% of their goals between the 46th and 60th minutes.

Dundalk - Form analysis: A complete failure

"The Lilywhites" last won the league in 2019 and played in the Europa League group stage in the autumn of the following year. However, their performance has since declined. Even last season, they finished fifth, but now the former champions are languishing at the bottom of the table. There was a relatively better period at the end of April and the beginning of May, with a long-awaited win and a couple of draws. However, they lost to Drogheda again, and Waterford handed them a crushing 4-1 defeat.

Shamrock Rovers - Form analysis: Recent rounds have been full of setbacks

"The Hoops" won their fourth consecutive league title last year, extending their record to 21 trophies. They remain among the leaders this season, though consistency has been lacking. Bradley's team started with just three points from four matches but then improved, winning 5 out of 6 games. Since then, they've only managed to beat Drogheda (in a resounding fashion) and have drawn the rest of their matches, even losing 1-3 at home to Waterford with an own goal by the goalkeeper. They also drew 2-2 with St. Patrick's.

Dundalk: Team news

Shelvey received a red card after the final whistle against Drogheda and will be unavailable.

Shamrock Rovers: Team news

Bradley has no injury concerns.

Possible starting lineups for Dundalk vs Shamrock Rovers:

Dundalk (possible lineup): Munro - Muller, Boyle, Johnson, Davis - Mountney, Doyle, Benson, Hy, Horgan - Gallen

Shamrock Rovers (possible lineup): Pyles - Honohan, Lopes, Cleary - Kavanagh, Green, Nugent, Poom, Noonan, Clarke - Kenny

Previous matches

Last summer, Dundalk managed to win twice. However, Shamrock Rovers won in August and drew in February.

Free prediction for the Dundalk vs Shamrock Rovers match on May 17:

The visitors have some issues, but the hosts are significantly weaker. While a repeat of the previous match's thrashing is unlikely, the Rovers should secure a win (odds – 1.69).