National League

Tomorrow

Bray Wanderers v Cork City (3.15)

City are likely to make a few changes after their midweek trip to the Ukraine with a few players being rested and the likes Jason Kabia, John Caulfield and Gerard Dobbs all possibly coming in from the start for this one.

Bray manager Pat Devlin concedes that this might be just the time to get Cork, who only arrived back in Dublin airport on Friday evening and will feel that they've spent most of the intervening time on buses between the capital and Cork.

Still, experience has taught him caution for, he says, "you couldn't count on anything with City if they'd just come back from playing on Venus". Graham Cassin, signed from Blackburn over the summer, is the home side's only serious problem, he damaged his ankle last weekend and could be out for several weeks but "Tarzan" O'Brien should return up front while Stuart Connolly may well make his debut. Last season: Did not meet. League Cup form: Bray: W D L; Cork: W W W. Betting: Home 3/1, Draw 5/2, Away 8/11. Referee: J Casey (Waterford).

Derry City v St Patrick's Athletic (3.15)

The tie of the weekend, with the home side aiming to show their successors as champions just how hard it is to defend the title. Just how Felix Healy sets out to do should be interesting, for he has lost a number of important players over the summer and will have to do some serious juggling. Central to City's chances of success this season will be Gary Beckett who, after losing his way last season and almost leaving the club, has now been deployed as the playmaker in midfield where Healy reckons he has excelled so far.

Certainly the goalscoring touch which abandoned the team for almost the whole of last season returned in the League Cup and Liam Coyle is currently flying again while their only pre-season injury problem, Tony O'Dowd, who had a dislocated shoulder, hopes to return this afternoon. For their part St Patrick's have a number of injury problems, with a number of key first-team players, including Colin Hawkins, Packie Lynch, Leon Braithwite, Jeff Lynch, Leon Braithwite, Jeff Clarke and Willie Burke, all rated doubtful or worse. Still, they have the quality in their squad to make a contest of it anyway, and this could be a cracking tie.

Last season: St Patrick's 0 Derry 0, Derry 1 St Patrick's 1, St Patrick's 0 Derry 0

League Cup form: Derry: W W D; St Patrick's: L W W

Betting: Home: 6/4, Draw: 11/5, Away: 6/4 Referee: J McDermott (Dublin).

First Division

Galway United may have missed out on the play-off position last season but Don O'Riordan is hoping that his side can give an early indication that they can get things right this time around when they take on Home Farm Everton in Whitehall this evening.

Noel Mernagh (ankle) is the only United player ruled out by injury and O'Riordan is looking to the rest of his panel to produce the sort of improvement on the road required to make them serious promotion challengers.

"The home form was good last year," he said yesterday "but away from home wasn't so good and that's something we have to sort out. Overall, though, last year was all a bit of a learning experience for me and for some of the lads, so with a bit of luck we can improve on last year's performances this time."

In the midlands derby Longford travel to Athlone where Liam Buckley will also be hoping for a considerable improvement from Athlone. "We did well for most of last season and then fell away a bit," says Buckley, who has added the likes of Mark Patton (St Francis), and Chris Malone and Anthony Keenan (both Longford) to his panel this season.

"Overall there isn't a whole lot between maybe six or seven sides, so the important thing is just to get a good start, and we've no reason not to believe we can beat Longford even if they have done well in the League Cup."

Kilkenny City, meanwhile, kick off their campaign to win an immediate return to the top flight at Limerick, who will themselves be hoping to go one better than last season when they were beaten over two legs by UCD in the play-offs. Alfie Hale will be without Aidan Cooney and his nephew Richie for the trip with the pair suffering from an ankle injury and pleurisy respectively, but Trevor Vaughan will be back in the squad after shaking off a hamstring problem.

Saturday: Athlone Town v Longford Town, Home Farm Everton v Galway United (both 7.30), Cobh Ramblers v Drogheda United (7.0).

Sunday. Limerick v Kilkenny City (2.30), Monaghan Utd v St Francis (3.15). Betting courtesy of Paddy Power