As the curtain prepares to fall on the Irish domestic season there’s still a key clash on the calendar as Derry City take on Drogheda in the FAI Cup final on Sunday.
Damien Duff’s Shelbourne held their nerve on the final game of the League of Ireland season, to win away at Derry, and clinch a first top-flight title since 2006.
Derry finished fourth in the final rankings, and need to win the FAI Cup to secure a European qualifier spot for next season, as Drogheda face a relegation playoff with Bray Wanderers next week.
With plenty at stake at the Aviva, our tipster Andrew Cunneen has you covered with three value picks, in his Drogheda v Derry City betting tips.
FAI Cup Final tips
3:00pm – Drogheda v Derry City
Derry City to win
Drogheda to score first
Over 3.5 goals
WHEN: Sunday 10th November, 3pm
WHERE: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
TV: RTE2
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
Derry City to Win
This is one of the strangest FAI Cup finals I can ever remember, in terms of build-up.
And that’s largely down to the fact both teams are coming into it on the back of very disappointing seasons.
Derry, who were joint-favourites for most of the campaign, not only didn’t offer up much of a challenge when push came to shove in the league, but also saw Shelbourne crowned champions on their own patch.
As for Drogheda? For all that they may laugh at their Louth neighbours being relegated, Drogs are now facing a huge fixture themselves, just six days after this cup final.
To be clear, the prize on offer here is European football and an amazing memory for generations. But with Derry fans in the Aviva likely expecting a win, facing the pressure of not getting European football, let alone a league trophy – and the likely exit of their boss no matter the result – this feels like an anti-climax.
In saying that, there’s too many good players that a wide open pitch like the Aviva will suit, for them not to be fancied over 90 minutes.
Particularly as the bigger point of emphasis will be to fight off relegation in a week’s time for Drogheda.
Drogheda to Score First
But, it might not be very straightforward.
Derry have conceded the opening goal in seven of their last eight league games. The only game they netted first in was against Dundalk who finished bottom of the table.
One of those games? A 2-1 loss to Drogheda. Now, that game was played in Drogheda, and for first-time League of Ireland readers, it’s like going from Kempton to Laytown in terms of pitch discrepancy.
Drogs use Weavers Park to their advantage and rightly so, but lots of the difficulties sides face when going are there, are nullified in return legs.
For context, Derry won the game at the Brandywell by five goals to one.
It’s the complacency that people talk about with Derry, though – and that’s a big reason why they didn’t win the league. Their focus from one minute to the next, let alone one game to the next, is severely lacking – and if they turn up with that same approach, they could get done early.
Over 3.5 Goals
Historically the Cup final hasn’t always been a classic. But we’ve seen over 3.5 goals land in three of the last four finals.
One of those featured Derry, when they made light work of current champions Shelbourne. This has a similar feel to it, and given the amount of factors that could tie into the game being open – the size of the pitch, the temptation to rest players for next week if it’s not going Drogheda’s way – you can almost see it playing into Derry’s hands as the game goes on.
FAI Cup Final tips
3:00pm – Drogheda v Derry City
Derry City to win
Drogheda to score first
Over 3.5 goals
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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