Saturday
Derry City v St Patrick's Athletic (7.30)
With very little cover for his first choice 11, City manager Kevin Mahon is having to get by as best he can and the chances are that there will be a youngster or two in the starting line-up this evening.
Gary Beckett (groin) and Eamonn Doherty (calf) are the two main concerns ahead of this evening's match which City will be particularly anxious to win after their poor start and financial troubles off the pitch.
Up front there is the problem of a partner for Liam Coyle and Mahon's options come down to one from Darren McCaul, Brendan Devlin or Stephen Parkhouse.
The visitors will be without Paul Byrne again - the midfielder is still suffering from an Achilles tendon problem - while goalkeeper Shay Kelly has a sprained thumb and is considered doubtful.
Last season: St Patrick's 1 City 2, City 0 St Patrick's 3, St Patrick's 1 City 1. Betting: Home: 7/4, Draw: 9/4, Away: 5/4. Referee: J Stacey (Athlone).
Sunday
Cork City v Bray Wanderers (2.0)
The home side have to pick themselves up after the disappointment of Thursday night and get on with their league campaign against Bray Wanderers who have made a flying start to their season.
City will be without Noel Hartigan but Pat Morley and Stephen Napier came through the Lausanne game without any problems and both are likely to feature again.
"I can't fault any of the lads for their individual effort or commitment," said Derek Mountfield yesterday, "but we can play a lot better as a team and I intend to ensure that we do on Sunday."
Bray Wanderers will be without Jody Lynch, who injured his knee during a preseason friendly, while Mick Doohan is doubtful with a hamstring problem and Stephen Fox has a slight ankle problem.
Pat Devlin adds Alan Byrne and Barry O'Connor to the squad as Wanderers go in search of their third consecutive win.
Last season: Did not meet. Betting: Home: 4/6, Draw: 9/4, Away: 4/1. Referee: R O'Hanlon (Waterford).
UCD v Bohemians (3.15)
"People say that we're getting Bohemians at the right time," says UCD manager Martin Moran, "but they must be mad. They beat Galway 5-0 last week and have just got one of the best results ever for an Irish club in Europe."
Moran feels his side can play a good deal better than they have done in their opening two games. "We'll have to in this match because we're clearly playing the form side," he said.
He does, at least, have a full squad to choose from with John Martin recovered from the bout of flu that kept him out of the reckoning a week ago.
Roddy Collins is without Trevor Molloy and Darren O'Keeffe, both suspended, while Rob Bowman is carrying a slight knock in the wake of the Aberdeen game and is considered doubtful.
Last season: Bohemians 1 UCD 0, UCD 0 Bohemians 2, Bohemians 1 UCD 2. Betting: Home: 13/8, Draw: 11/5, Away: 11/8. Referee: J Feighery (Dublin).
Betting courtesy of Paddy Power
French First Division club Olympique Marseille have renewed their bid to sign Chilean international striker Ivan Zamorano from Italian giants Inter Milan. Marseille had inquired about Zamorano in the close season but it came to nothing, but on Friday, the player's entourage announced that they had been in contact again. Now that Inter have failed to qualify for the Champions League, they are no longer assured of a massive payday from the European competition and are keen to offload players to cut their wage bill. Zamorano, 33, is now keen to leave Inter after receiving a harsh reception from the fans against Helsinborgs on Wednesday.
