Derry City are trying to chase down Premier Division leader Shamrock Rovers. The Candystripes are on a run of poor form, however, which could result in them missing out on the Premier Division title.
City went winless in their last four matches in the league, picking up two points from 12 on offer. The awful run of form has them six points behind Rovers going into Friday’s match with Cork City.
Cork City are ninth in the 10-team Irish top flight. The Rebel Army are coming off a 2-1 loss to Dundalk last time out. The defeat ended a four-game winning streak, which helped Cork City’s chances of survival.
The Rebel Army are currently in the relegation playoff position. However, two points separate them from safety and a win over Derry City could send Cork out of the bottom two.
History is not on Cork City’s side going into round No 22. Derry City went unbeaten in their last six games against Cork, winning five times and drawing once. The teams met twice this season already, with Derry winning 2-0 at home and 3-1 away.
Derry need to rediscover the form that saw them defeat Cork City twice this season. They took just eight points from the last six games, scoring eight goals and conceding six times.
The Candystripes suddenly cannot score goals. They managed just one goal across their last four Premier Division games.
Cork City took 12 points from their last 18 points on offer in the league. The Rebel Army scored seven goals and conceded five times. Cork are not a strong away team, however.
They took just five points from nine away matches. Cork are coming off a 1-0 away win against Drogheda United.
Derry City may be in poor form overall, but they went unbeaten in their last four home fixtures. Jordan McEneff leads Derry in goals this season with six. He has contributed 21% of Derry’s scoring.
The Candystripes have the second-best defence in the Premier Division. Cork City struggled to break down the Derry defence in their previous two meetings. Cork managed just one goal in 180 minutes of football.
Ruairi Keating leads Cork in goals with seven this season. He scored 29% of Cork City’s goals ahead of Friday’s fixture with Derry City.
Derry City have a great head-to-head record against Cork and should post another win against their Premier Division rivals. The Candystripes are struggling to score goals, and Friday’s game should be low-scoring, with Derry winning 1-0.