Nothing to keep you informed about in the opening five minutes of this one with both sides still settling into the game.

David Cushley's corner kick falls flat, and his attempted cross to the front post lacks the necessary zip.

Ronan Doherty pounces on the underwhelming delivery, clearing the danger as far as Cushley, who mishits his first-time cross, and Sean Stewart is on hand to head clear.

Darren Murphy
Sportsound summariser

It has been a hectic start, both teams need to take time to settle but you have to expect that as it's been a few years since this derby.

As expected, a nervy start from both sets of players in the opening stages.

Referee Tim Marshall starts the action at an expectant Warden Street Showgrounds.

Can Loughgall end their dismal run of five straight league defeats or can Ballymena claim a seventh straight victory which will take them top of the league table?

The visitors won twice here last season - Dean Smith would happily take another three points today.

A big crowd, a blustery wind and a fierce local rivalry - the stage is set.

Let's hope the action on the pitch lives up the excitement in the stands.

Davy McDaid gets us underway at Mourneview Park.

We're underway at Seaview.

Can Crusaders make it back-to-back league victories or will the away side gain the three points this afternoon?

Seanan Clucas gets the ball rolling at the Loughshore Arena.

Can the hosts end their streak of eight consecutive defeats in the league this afternoon?

Larne manager Tiernan Lynch believes his side will be better for the experience of their Uefa Conference League opener.

The back-to-back Irish Premiership champions, who were the first team from the league to ever play in this phase of a major European competition, were beaten 3-0 by Molde in Norway.

The County Antrim side were level until the 51st minute but conceded twice late on, either side of a red card for substitute Conor McKendry.

"We lacked a little belief in possession. We probably should have been a little braver," said Lynch.

"That'll stand by them. They now have the monkey off the back as the saying goes and I think they'll be a wee bit more confident going into the next game."

Read more from Lynch here.

After all the drama of the 'Big Two' derby at Windsor Park on Friday night, attention turns to the not inconsiderable meeting of Mid Ulster rivals Glenavon and Portadown at Mourneview Park.

The clubs enjoyed contrasting fortunes in the Bet McLean Cup in midweek, a late Davy McDaid winner earning the Lurgan Blues their place in the second round while the Ports crashed out, beaten 0-1 at home by Championship club Ards.

Not surprisingly, both teams show a raft of changes from midweek.

Home boss Stephen McDonnell makes six alterations with David Toure, Keith Ward, Christopher Atherton, Michael O'Connor and Jamie Doran dropping to the bench and James Carroll missing out completely.

In their places come Len O'Sullivan, Jack Malone, David McDaid, Peter Campbell, Barney McKeown and James Carroll.

Ports manager Niall Currie goes one better with a magnificent seven switches as Jamie Ray, Dougie Wilson, Paul McElroy, Ben Wylie and Liam Mullan are listed among the replacements with Jay Riley and Josh Ukek, sent off in the cup, not involved.

The men to step up are Aaron McCarey, Lewis McKinnon, Lee Chapman, Ryan Mayse, Eamon Fyfe, Jack Henderson and Abu Obhakhan.

Glenavon: Deane, O'Sullivan, Marshall, Snoddy, Malone, McDaid, Campbell, Quinn (c), Lynch, McKeown, Carroll.

Subs: Byrne, Toure, Atherton, O'Connor, Ward, Doran, McGovern.

Portadown: McCarey (c), Altintop, MacKinnon, L. Wilson, Chapman, Mayse, McCullough, Fife, Henderson, Obhakhan, McCartan.

Subs: Redman, D. Wilson, McElroy, Wylie, Mullan, McDonagh, Ray.

Image source, BBC Sport

Ballymena United manager Jim Ervin has been named as the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Manager of the month for September.

The Sky Blues won all six of their matches during the month, five of those victories in the Irish Premiership, plus a County Antrim Shield first-round success over Ballymacash Rangers.

Image source, Inpho

On the equivalent weekend of last season, Loughgall were nine points better off than Ballymena in the league standings.

Fast forward 12 months and the gap between the sides is 13 points - this time in United's favour - as if to illustrate the reversal in both sides' current fortunes.

After making a raft of changes in the League Cup in midweek, Ballymena revert back to the tried and trusted line-up which has helped win six league games in a row, with just one change from last week's win at Portadown, with Joe Moore coming in for Ethan Devine.

Loughgall make three changes from their defeat by Crusaders last weekend, with Jordan Gibson, Luke Cartwright and Jay Boyd coming in for Andrew Hoey, Caolan McAleer and Adam Towe.

Ballymena United: O'Neill, Rocks, McCallion, Nelson, Lafferty, Jarvis, Carson, Kennedy, Scott, Moore, McCurry.

Subs: Johnston, Gawne, Herron, O'Donnell, Brown, Stewart, Devlin.

Loughgall: Gartside, Kerr, Francis, Francis, Murdock, Cartwright, Rea, Kelly, Gibson, McCloskey, Waide, Boyd.

Subs: Turker, Hoey, McAleer, Norton, Balde, Towe.

Image source, BBC Sport

Linfield manager David Healy described his side's second-half performance in Friday night's derby defeat to Glentoran as "rubbish", adding he "can't accept" how his side appeared to lack fighting spirit.

The hosts at Windsor Park had been markedly the better side in the first 45 minutes and should have led by more than the one-goal advantage they held through Joel Cooper's 8th minute strike.

But the second half was akin to a different game with Glentoran finding the net three times to secure a first Windsor Park win for two years.

"First half we were good, second half we were rubbish," Healy said.

"We can't accept that. We can't accept that level of performance.

"We were outworked and outfought and that's the disappointing thing."

If not for the performance of Glentoran goalkeeper Daniel Gyollai, Linfield could have had the three points wrapped up by the interval but Healy stressed he had warned the game was not won.

"Coming in at half-time, you're not thinking the game is safe, we always knew there was going to be a reaction. Glentoran got the reaction, we didn't.

"The second-half performance was a shock because we were so on top in the first half. This one leaves a sour taste because it's a derby game, we underperformed in the second half.

"We looked as if we lacked a real fighting spirit which is disappointing from a manager's point of view."

Image source, Inpho

Glentoran boss Declan Devine believes Friday night's 3-1 victory over Linfield sets the "standard" for his side moving forward.

By far the best result since the former Derry City and Bohemians manager replaced Warren Feeney at the Oval last season, the derby victory at Windsor Park saw Glentoran make light of indifferent recent form and a poor first-half after which they deservedly trailed to Joel Cooper's opening strike.

They were a different side after the break with goals from Jay Donnelly, Frankie Hvid and Cameron Palmer securing a first away win over the Blues since October 2022.

"We showed them too much respect in the first-half," Devine said.

"We sat off them too much, invited pressure to come on us. We needed our goalkeeper to play well to keep us in the game.

"We needed a big performance in that second half and thankfully we were able to get it.

"It's a really strong performance but we won't get carried away. That's the standard set."

There was some dissent in the stands following last weekend's dour 0-0 home draw with Glenavon but Devine was delighted to be able to send the visiting fans home happy this time around.

"I've said it since I came in, we need unity, we need the players and fans to have that togetherness," he added.

"The fans stayed with us even when we were a goal down and I think we've rewarded them. They certainly enjoyed that.

"It's about when we're playing well, the fans staying with us, whenever we're playing poorly, the fans staying with us, and they've done that.

"When everyone is pulling in the one direction, it's an amazing football club."

Image source, Inpho

There is just the one alteration to the home side's starting XI who were the victors against Loughgall last weekend with Stewart Nixon replacing Jimmy Callacher who, after making his first start in over a year last weekend, drops to the bench.

Dean Shiels makes three changes to the Coleraine side who were defeated by Linfield in their last league fixture.

Max Little replaces Rory Brown between the posts with Jamie McGonigle and Alfie Gaston in for Ciaron Harkin and Rhyss Campbell.

Crusaders: Tuffey, Blaney, Weir, Barr, O'Rourke, Williamson, Clarke, Forsythe, Franklin, Nixon, Offord.

Subs: Kerr, Callacher, Stewart, Teelan, Owens, Smith, Vance.

Coleraine: Little, Jarvis, Boyle, Stewart, Scott, Shevlin, Murray, McClelland, Glackin, McGonigle, Gaston.

Subs: Brown, Campbell, Harkin, Spence, Carse, Devine, Smith.

Image source, BBC Sport

Glentoran secured a first away win at Windsor Park since October 2022 as Declan Devine's men produced a stunning second-half to beat league leaders Linfield 3-1.

In a bid to reverse fortunes, Carrick Rangers' interim manager Mark Surgenor has rung the changes following their shock League Cup exit to Queen's University - a result that spelt the end of Stuart King's tenure at the Loughshore Arena.

Surgenor's reshuffle sees the experienced quartet of Ross Glendinning, Kyle Cherry, Paul Heatley, and Danny Gibson drafted into the starting line-up, displacing Ben McCauley, Josh Andrews, Emmett McGuckin, and Curtis Allen.

Meanwhile, Cliftonville's Jim Magilton, fresh from a midweek victory over Limavady United, has opted for three changes of his own.

David Odumosu reclaims his place between the sticks, while Ronan Doherty and Ryan Curran are recalled to the first XI.

Stopper Lewis Ridd is relegated to the bench, with Axel Piesold and Rory Donnelly omitted from today's matchday squad.

Carrick Rangers: Glendinning, Forsythe, C. Stewart, Cushley, Maciulaitis, McCullough, Buchanan-Rolleston, Clucas, Cherry, Heatley, Gibson

Subs: McCauley, McGuckin, Allen, Andrews, Given, Tilney

Cliftonville: Odumosu, S. Stewart, Addis, Newberry, Pettifer, Hale, Curran, Leppard, Doherty, Glynn, Steven

Subs: Ridd, Pepper, Ojo, Gormley, Markey, Hawthorne, Corrigan

Image source, BBC Sport

Glentoran defender James Singleton says his side will use Friday's 3-1 comeback win over Linfield as a "confidence booster".

Joel Cooper's goal had the Blues ahead at half-time but Jay Donnelly, Frankie Hvid and Cammy Palmer netted after the break to give the Glens the victory.

"We came in at half-time and Declan [Devine, Glentoran manager] said 'we'll just go for it now, go for it full press'. He asked me to press the centre-half and work as hard as I could.

"I think we did it really well in the second half and we were worthy winners in the end against a really good Linfield team on their own patch. We're all delighted.

Read more here, external

Image source, Press Eye

Linfield say they "will investigate further" an incident at the end of Friday's Irish Premiership derby at Windsor Park when "an individual was removed from the ground" after Glentoran's Fuad Sule alleged that he was racially abused by a spectator.

In a statement on his X account, external, Sule said that he was aware that emotions ran high in matches between the Belfast rivals but would not accept being racially abused.

Read more here

Image source, Inpho

Linfield v Glentoran - Friday 19:45 BST (Live on BBC iPlayer & BBC Sport website)

It all depends on who Linfield have available for this one. If David Healy's side are missing some key players, then it could be tighter than everyone is expecting.

Prediction: 1-1

Ballymena United v Loughall - Saturday 15:00 BST (live on Sportsound on Radio Ulster/BBC Sounds)

Jim Ervin has Ballymena in a good place, they are on good run of form and I think that will continue this weekend.

Prediction: 3-1

Carrick Rangers v Cliftonville - Saturday 15:00 BST (live on Sportsound on Radio Ulster/BBC Sounds)

Cliftonville are a good side and I think they’ll prove to be a little too strong for Carrick on Saturday.

Predcition: 1-2

Crusaders v Coleraine - Saturday 15:00 BST (live on Sportsound on Radio Ulster/BBC Sounds)

I think this will be an exciting game between two good sides. I'm expecting some goals but the honours to be shared.

Prediction: 2-2

Portadown v Glenavon - Saturday 15:00 BST (live on Sportsound on Radio Ulster/BBC Sounds)

This one will be a strong and feisty affair. A proper derby.

Prediction: 1-1

Larne v Dungannon Swifts - Sunday 14:00 BST (live text commentary with in-game clips on BBC Sport website & app)

All I can say on this one is that I'm hoping for a positive result!

Prediction: n/a

(We'll let Rodney off this one seeing as he's the Dungannon Swifts manager!)

Don't forget to join Rodney with Joel Taggart on Sportsound this week from 14:00 BST on Saturday for all the latest from the Irish Premiership. Available on BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Sounds and on the BBC Sport website.

Image source, BBC Sport