Shels trio in contention for first Dublin derby

Dublin will see the unbeaten pair Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne go head to head in an intriguing derby match at Tallaght Stadium tonight.

Shels were very impressive in beating Derry City last week and will meet the league champions full of confidence while the Hoops were pleased to return from a testing trip to Cork City with a point secured thanks to an injury-time equaliser.

Rovers are without Ciaran Kilduff (broken metatarsal), Conor Winn (back) and Stephen O’Donnell (knee surgery) while Conor Powell is suspended.

Hoops boss Stephen Kenny is hoping for an improved performance from his side.

He said: "Both teams have had strong starts to the season, taking seven points from nine. This is our first Dublin derby and we’re back at home, so we know we’ll have to be at our best; Shels have a good team this year.

"There have been some very good individual performances in the last few games, but we know there is room for improvement from our game in Cork last week."

Shels expect to have David Cassidy, Stephen Paisley and Kevin Dawson all back in contention while Paul Byrne remains on the injured list.

Shelbourne manager Alan Mathews said: "It’s good to win. Where we are in the league is irrelevant really at this stage, but it’s a nice position to find ourselves in."