The tasty prospect of a city derby in this year’s FAI Cup following Tuesday afternoon’s draw will have to be put on the back burner for Galway United this Friday as they face arguably their most crucial game of the season when Waterford pay a visit to Eamonn Deacy Park (7.45pm).

In fact, both sides have local derbies to look forward to after that draw for the Last 16 – Waterford have been drawn away to Cork City; while Salthill Devon lie in wait for United in a game that sees Devon with home advantage, but is likely to be switched to Eamonn Deacy Park.

When those games do rock around, both United and Waterford will be hoping to be in a far safer place than they find themselves heading into Friday night’s clash, where defeat could drag the losing side right into a messy play-off scrap.

The bottom four face-off this Friday in what could be a key night at the foot of the table. Basement side Cork City will be as good as gone if they lose at home to a Sligo Rovers side that will move 11 points clear of their hosts with a win in Turners Cross.

That in turn would see the north Connacht side close the gap on either United or Waterford, who sit one and two places above them in the table, but with both struggling for form.

Both sides got morale-boosting wins in the Cup last weekend, though both were against non-league sides. United were never troubled when beating Tolka Rovers; while Waterford were more impressive when running out 5-1 winners at home to a St Mochta’s side that cliched the Leinster Senior League title last season – Tolka Rovers finished ninth.

The league form of both sides is less impressive: in the nine games since their last meeting back in May, both are on a matching run of just two wins in nine games, and both have taken just nine points in that run.

Waterford ran out 1-0 winners in that meeting in the RSC 11 weeks ago thanks to a Darragh Leahy goal, the same scoreline which saw United take the three points when the sides met at Eamonn Deacy Park in March when Vince Borden scored the only goal of the game.

“We are happy to win, we have gone through a difficult patch, we are trying to bring players in and we have lost some players,” United manager John Caulfield said after last Friday’s cup win.

“We have lots to work on, a few fellas got some game time, we kept a clean sheet and we are into the next round, all eyes now turn to Waterford,” he said.

There are bound to be some changes to the side that started in that cup clash for Friday night. Dave Hurley has to surely start, after his introduction early in the second-half finally saw United play with a bit more pace and purpose, though if he is to start, it has to be in a central role, rather than out wide as been the case in recent games.

Jeannot Esua has struggled for form in recent games, and was rested last Friday, but he is likely to come back into the side, as is Borden, who was also an unused sub last Friday.

His compatriot, Patrick Hickey, has missed the last four games through injury, and a decision is to be made as late as possible on his availability for the bench for Friday’s game; but the match will come too soon for Conor McCormack, who has featured only sporadically this season.

“We’re not 100% about McCormack, Hickey is the one where were trying to see him get involved on the bench, but it is tight, Cork [the following week] might be more realistic.

“That’s what happens in mid-season, fellas get a few knocks, it’s not just as easy. The last thing you want is bring them back and they break down, you have to manage that because there’s so many big matches to come, you know,” Caulfield said.

There are none bigger than this Friday night, and given their matching form, run of results, and head-to-head clashes this season, it all points to a a stalemate between the sides.

With a trip to Cork City coming up the following week for United, the Tribesmen could give their season a right boost by claiming back-to-back wins for the second time this season.

The only other time started with that 1-0 win at home to Waterford in March. United would snap your hand off right now if you offered them a similar outcome on Friday.

Pictured: Galway United’s goal scorer Stephen Walsh prepares to let fly against Tolka Rovers during Friday’s FAI Cup encounter at Eamonn Deacy Park. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.