Glentoran face Glenavon on Saturday afternoon. It will be the fifth meeting between the sides this season with neither team registering a home win!
In the Danske Bank Premiership Glentoran have travelled twice to Mourneview Park and returned home with 6 points. The first meeting in August saw the East Belfast Glens grab a 2-1 victory. In mid-January we came out on top again, this time winning 3-2. The other Danske Bank Premiership meeting took place at the Oval in November and finished scoreless. The most recent meeting between the teams came earlier this month in the Irish Cup. Glentoran led at the interval through a Jay Magee penalty but two goals in the dying minutes saw the Lurgan side snatch a semi-final spot against Crusaders next weekend.
That semi-final date may influence Gary Hamilton’s team selection as he won’t want to risk injuries or suspensions to key Glenavon players. Glentoran boss, Eddie Patterson will be looking for another performance like last Tuesday night against Crusaders. European qualification is all but gone with the Glens probably needing to win all 5 remaining league games and hope that both Portadown and Crusaders slip up. It's a long shot but there’s no point being cautious at this stage. We might as well go for it. COYG.