Today's Previews

Finn Harps v St Patrick's Athletic (5.0)

A vital game for both teams with harps still clinging to their hopes of qualifying for Europe and the visitors desperate to get back on track after Friday's slipup at home to Bohemians.

Pat Dolan will be without Paul Campbell, who starts a three-match suspension and Thomas Morgan looks to be the most obvious replacement but after that it will be up to the manager to decide whether further changes to a team that has taken just six points out of the last 15 are needed.

Harps need the win just as badly but they have still slight worries over key players who have returned from injury recently with neither Pascal Vaudequin nor Jonathon Speak making it through to the end of the 2-2 draw at Kilkenny.

Last two seasons: 1996/97: St Patrick's 2 Harps 0, Harps 0 St Patrick's 1, St Patrick's 2 Harps 1; 97/98: Harps 1 St Patrick's 2, St Patrick's 1 Harps 0.

Recent league form: Harps: DLDLD; St Patrick's: DDWDL.

Leading scorers: Harps: Speak (nine); St Patrick's: Gilzean (11).

Betting: Home: 2/1, Draw: 7/4, Away: 13/8.

Referee: J Stacey (Westmeath).

First Division

Athlone Town v Galway United (5.0)

Galway United travel to Athlone Town for their rescheduled fixture knowing that nothing less than a victory will keep alive their promotion play-off ambitions.

United manager Don O'Riordan yesterday described Friday night's 2-1 defeat by Waterford, during which two of his players were sent off, as "the most emotional thing I've been involved in in all of my long years in the game," but admits he has to try to motivate his team to keep going until "it is mathematically beyond us".

The visitors will definitely be without the suspended Brendan O'Connor today but he is hoping that Jumbo Brennan, who took a knock in the RSC game, and Harry Costello, who has had a hamstring problem, will pass late fitness tests to play.