In the red corner, hailing from Inchicore, St Patrick’s Athletic will aim to round off a term that saw them finish second in the league and secure some European football with a trophy to complement that.

In the (red and) black corner is Bohemians, the country’s entertainers who caught the eye in Europe and at home with their attacking football.

After dominating the PFAI Team of the Year selection, Bohs will want to nab some silverware before the core of their squad looks elsewhere (excluding Ross Tierney, who already has a flight to Motherwell booked).

Both teams have gone several years without a major honour to their name – Pats are hoping to break a seven-year duct while Bohs look to snap a 12-year streak without a league title or FAI Cup to their name.

The teams’ managers have inspired their sides in recent years which sees them meet in a battle for glory at the Aviva Stadium.

Stephen O’Donnell has breathed life back into The Athletic after several stale years saw them move into unremarkable territory.

A second-placed finish in the league sees them back with the big dogs but a trophy only solidifies it further.

Liverpool loanee Viteslav Jaros has improved their defence and himself over the course of the season, developing a commanding presence in his box and making Pats fans fall in love.

Bohs manager and former St Pats midfielder Keith Long has the chance to win an FAI Cup for the first time when his team walk out on the Lansdowne turf on Sunday afternoon.

The goalscoring antics of Donegal native Georgie Kelly and the creative presence of the likes of Tierney, Ali Coote and Dawson Devoy will be sure to cause many problems throughout the match.

Long will want to turn his team from entertainers to challengers next season and the FAI Cup final is the first step they will take on that journey.

Ruaidhri Higgins and his Derry City team will watch from afar after he revitalised a side languishing in the bottom half and led them to fourth in the league at the end of the season, ahead of Bohs.

Their European fate will be decided today – a Bohs win will see the Candystripes denied a run in the Europa Conference League next season.

It’s all to play for and a record Aviva crowd for an FAI Cup final will be watching eagerly as well as fans at home.

Teams

Bohemians (4-3-3): Talbot; Lyons, Cornwall, C. Kelly, Wilson; Buckley (C), Devoy, Tierney; Coote, Kelly, Burt.

Subs: McGuinness, Breslin, Finnerty, Levingston, Mullins, Ward, Mallon, Omochere.

St Patrick’s Athletic (4-2-3-1): Jaros; Barrett, Bone, Desmond, Bermingham (C); Benson, Lennon; Burns, Lewis, Forrester; Smith.

Subs: Murphy, Nwoko, Coughlan, McClelland, King, Melvin Lambert, Griffin, Hickman, Abankwah.

Odds

Bohemians 13/10

Draw 15/8

St Patrick’s Athletic 2/1

Where To Watch

The match will be available to watch live on RTÉ 2 with coverage beginning at 3:15 pm.

The post Bohs v Pats: FAI Cup Final – Preview, Teams, Odds, Where To Watch appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The defending SSE Airtricity League Champions were knocked out by Bohemians in the second round of the FAI Cup on Sunday.

The two sides were reduced to 10 men each after a scuffle between Bohs forward Georgie Kelly and Rovers captain Ronan Finn led to both players receiving their marching orders – Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley does not agree with Finn’s dismissal but says his side “have to accept it.”

Bradley reflected on the game and noted that he felt that it was a match of poor quality throughout.

The post Shamrock Rovers Looking To Bounce Back Against Finn Harps appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Kevin Long’s side came into the game as slight favourites with odds of 6/5 and came out of the game the side with the advantage after a goal from Ross Tierney after 15 minutes.

Dawson Devoy was once again too hot to handle for the opposition and shone on a sunny evening, creating the opportunity that Tierney was able to pounce on.

Dudelange were visibly frustrated throughout the game with two yellow cards by the end of the first half.

Bohs, on the other hand, looked comfortable with their one-goal lead.

The home side’s frustration continued in the second half as chances and penalty calls did not go their way at the Stade Jos Nosbaum.

However, the side started to take control of the tie and mount pressure on the visitors.

Players such as Bojic and Van Den Herkhof had chances that they failed to put away, with Bohs continuing to defend.

Substitutions began to happen with goalscorer Tierney coming off in place of Conor Livingston.

The final 10 minutes were tough for the Boh’s men who had to deal with an urgent wave of Dudelange pressure but did their best to stay compact and snuff out the danger.

They survived the onslaught after an extra six minutes were added on and will now take their lead back to Dublin, where 8,000 fans will await them at the Aviva Stadium next week.

However, they will have to avoid defeat to progress in 90 minutes due to the away rule being abolished before this season began.

Bohemians host F91 Dudelange at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin next Thursday for the second leg of the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League with kick-off scheduled for 7:45 pm.

The post Bohs Take 1-0 Lead Back To Dublin In Conference League Showdown appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.