Friday night fever will be all the rage at Tallaght Stadium tonight as Premier Division leaders Shamrock Rovers entertain Bohemians at the best ground in the League of Ireland for what is arguably the biggest Dublin derby of them all.
It was tempting to say Rovers will welcome Bohs to south Dublin but I’m not really sure the word welcome is entirely appropriate in this instance, such is the rivalry between these two great clubs.
What is certain is that The Hoops against The Gypsies is always special and tonight there are a few extra ingredients that will only add fuel to the fire.
Both sides have players in their ranks who are being talked about as potential call-ups to the experimental Ireland squad that Heimir Hallgrimsson will bring to Spain for a training camp and friendly against Grenada next month.
Ed McGinty, Matt Healy, Adam Brennan, new to Rovers after his pre-season move from UCD, and Dawson Devoy are rightly in the frame to feature in the first Ireland squad post Prague as the Boys in Green emerge from the World Cup ashes.
Bohs manager Alan Reynolds, as you will read elsewhere here, is open to the idea of allowing the hugely talented Devoy to skip LOI games in May if it helps him win a senior cap for his country.
We’ve yet to hear from Stephen Bradley on his trio’s prospects of a few weeks off club duty but with captain Pico Lopes already booked in for World Cup duty with Cape Verde in June, Bradley may not be quite as keen on player sharing.
What’s important to acknowledge here is the fact that four LOI youngsters are being talked about as Ireland call-ups in waiting - and elder statesman Jack Byrne wouldn’t be out of place in that conversation either on current form.
What’s great here is that all four youngsters will get the opportunity to show us why they are on Hallgrimsson’s radar in front of a live TV audience when the match goes out on Virgin Media tonight.
The more eyes that see the potential of these LOI players the better - the more they can impress the viewers, the more chance some of those viewers will make the move from couch to grandstand.
The Virgin Media studio line-up is also a positive this evening when Damien Duff will make his first public appearance since leaving his job as Shelbourne manager, an appointment that really brought attention to our League.
His TV work tonight will also bring more eyes and ears to the game which is another welcome addition - as is the fact that Rovers are hosting a corporate dinner before the game which has attracted sponsors, potential business partners and owners and opened up a new commercial opportunity for the club.
Such pre-match functions are the norm in most major European Leagues so here’s hoping that this event becomes another regular feature for Irish football.
Enough about matters off the field tonight however. What we can guarantee is a blood and guts derby - one that is unlikely to remain scoreless by the half-time whistle, never mind full-time.
Rovers went top of the league with their win at Pats last Friday night. Bohs lost the only unbeaten record left in the Premier Division when they were beaten at home by Galway the same night.
Both teams will have a point to prove tonight. It promises to be a cracker. It deserves to be.