Glenavon manager Paddy McLaughlin has made two changes from the team that started in the 2-0 defeat to Linfield last week.

Tadgh Ryan is back in goal with Mark Byrne dropping to the bench, while Matthew O'Connor also returns to the team with Matthew Snoddy content with a place amongst the substitutes.

This game will be their last of the season against top-half opposition as they are certain to be in the bottom half after today's split.

For Larne, manager Gary Haveron - back on the touchline following a one-game suspension - makes one change from the team that started in Tuesday's 2-2 draw at Glentoran with Mark Randall coming in for Olatunde Bayode.

Paul O’Neill and Andy Ryan found the net in midweek which secured a share of the spoils and ultimately, saw Linfield crowned champions, but the Inver Reds have their own ambitions as they sit three points behind the Glens in second place that secures automatic entry into Europe.

Glenavon: Ryan, Toure, O'Sullivan, Malone, McDaid, Campbell, Lynch, McKeown, Murphy, O'Connor, Carlin

Larne: Ferguson, Want, Donnelly, Randall, O'Neill, Graham, McEneff, Nolan, Cosgrove, Gallagher, Ryan

Image source, BBC Sport

Linfield manager David Healy has spoken about the pressures and weight of expectation he feels as boss of the Irish League's most successful club after securing a record-extending 57th league title for the Blues and a first since 2022.

Glentoran's 2-2 draw with Larne on Tuesday night left the south Belfast club with an unassailable 19-point lead at the top of the Premiership table with six sets of fixtures still remaining.

For Northern Ireland men's record goalscorer Healy it is a sixth league championship triumph as Linfield manager and a 12th trophy success in total during his tenure.

Larne had collected the Gibson Cup in each of the last two years, ending a period of Linfield domination which saw them crowned champions for four consecutive years.

"The expectation level is there and it will always be there. When you don't win a league title for a year at Linfield it's a challenge, when you don't win it for two years it's a crisis," Healy reflected in an interview with BBC Sport NI.

"My job is under pressure at Linfield week in, week out, at Linfield, game by game. You never ever feel as if you're secure in your job.

"It shows we haven't gone away but the challenge at Linfield is always the next one.

"Maybe previously we didn't strengthen from a position of strength so it's important now when you do win the league title that every little preparation for the European games, every preparation to retain the league title will be set in place and we'll try and do as best we can."

Image source, Inpho

Loughgall make four changes from the side which drew 1-1 at Crusaders last Saturday.

Robbie Norton returns from suspension while Lewis Francis, Robbie Mahon and Benji Magee all step up from the bench. Out go Lee McMenemy, James Carroll, Conor McCloskey and Kirk McLaughlin.

Even a win for Ballymena won't be enough for them to pinch a place in the top six but they make two changes from last week's win over Cliftonville.

Conor Barr is on international duty with Northern Ireland under-21s while Ethan Devine drops to the bench. In their places come Ben Kennedy and Josh Carson.

Loughgall: Gartside, Andrade, Murdock, Francis, Norton, Gibson, Towe, Mahon, Kelly, Waide, Magee.

Subs: Turker, McMenemy, O'Brien, McCaffrey, McLaughlin, Guterres.

Ballymena United: O'Neill, McMullan, O'Donnell, McCallion, Lafferty, Carson, Jarvis, McEleney, Corbally, Kennedy, Edogun.

Subs: Johnston, Moore, McCurry, Loughran, Devine, Hawe, Hood.

Image source, BBC Sport

Loughgall said on Wednesday night that they have reached "an amicable agreement" with former manager Dean Smith following his recent departure from the club.

An initial statement posted on X by the Irish Premiership club on 6 March indicated that they had "parted company" with their long-serving boss "by mutual consent".

However this was contested as a statement from the JWB Consultancy said: "We represent Mr Dean Smith. Our client has not agreed to terminate his contract."

Loughgall's statement released on Wednesday night revealed that the parties had resolved their differences and were parting on good terms.

"Loughgall Football Club and Dean Smith have reached an amicable agreement, inclusive of a confidential financial settlement, representing a full and final resolution of all matters," the statement read.

"It is acknowledged that the statement on Thursday 6th March issued on social media by Loughgall FC was the result of internal miscommunication. This statement has now been removed.

"Loughgall FC and Dean Smith have had a successful and lengthy period working together, and now part on mutually agreeable and good terms, with both parties keen to draw a line under recent events.

"To that end, there will be no further comment from either party in respect of the matter which both Loughgall FC and Dean Smith consider satisfactorily closed."

Image source, Inpho

So, after 32 games and almost 3,000 minutes of football it all comes to this - 90 minutes to determine whether Coleraine or Portadown, or indeed both - book their place in the top six.

Bannsiders' boss Dean Shiels makes just the one change to the team which started the midweek 2-2 draw here against Cliftonville.

Winger Kyle Spence has failed to recover from a hamstring injury which saw him leave that game early and his place is taken by Connor Murray.

Opposite number Niall Currie's starting XI shows three changes to the one which drew 1-1 with Dungannon Swifts seven days ago.

Defender Dougie Wilson is suspended after being sent off in that game, top scorer Ahu Obhakhan drops to the bench while Ben Wylie misses out completely.

In come two former Coleraine players - defender Aaron Traynor and striker Eamon Fyfe - along with Tabu Minzamba.

Coleraine: Brown, Kane (c), Boyle, Shevlin, Murray, McClelland, Glackin, Ives, Smith, Doherty, Dunne.

Subs: Little, Jarvis, Campbell, Scott, Burns, Devine, McManus.

Portadown: McCarey, Chapman, McCullough, Fyfe, Kek, Traynor, Teelen, Minzamba, McCartan, Thompson (c), Isamala.

Subs: Williamson, Redman, McCawl, McElroy, Obhakhan, McKay, Traczykowski.

Image source, BBC Sport

Cliftonville's Ryan Curran and Coleraine's Matthew Shevlin both found the net twice in a 2-2 draw that kept the Bannsiders in pole position for top-six spot.

There are two changes to the Glentoran side who drew 2-2 with Larne at the Oval on Tuesday night with Frankie Hvid and Nathaniel Ferris in the starting line-up.

Aaron Wightman drops to the bench and Cammy Palmer is not involved in today's squad after picking up a knock mid-week.

Aiming to secure their place in the top six, Declan Caddell makes just the one alteration from the 1-1 draw last Saturday with Loughgall.

Jordan Stewart is rewarded with a start after scoring last weekend and replaces Harry Franklin.

Glentoran: Gyollai, Coll, Hvid, Kane, Lyons-Foster, Sule, Lindsay, Thomson, Connolly, Ferris, Fisher.

Subs: Mills, McEleney, Pattisson, Wassim, Douglas, Thorndike, Wightman.

Crusaders: Tuffey, Barr, Callacher, Blaney, O'Rourke, Weir, Lowry, Jewitt-White, Forsythe, Clarke, Stewart.

Subs: Brown, Williamson, Larmour, O'Connor, King, Boyd, Nixon.

Image source, BBC Sport

Linfield chairman Roy McGivern says it is a "fantastic achievement" for the club to win the Irish Premiership title with six matches remaining.

McGivern admitted it felt "a bit strange" not winning the title on the pitch but said there would be a "huge trophy presentation" at Windsor Park for fans to celebrate.

"We'll savour the success, it's been a very sweet one," McGivern told Good Morning Ulster.

"We haven't won the league for the past two seasons and there are massive expectations at Linfield.

"Huge credit to our manager David Healy, the staff and the players for this remarkable success."

Image source, Presseye

The Reds shuffle their pack following Tuesday's 2-2 draw with Coleraine, introducing Shea Gordon and Harry Wilson for Odhran Casey and Alex Parsons.

Winger Parsons is named among the substitutes while Casey misses out this afternoon through injury.

Stephen Baxter, meanwhile, rings the changes after his side's stalemate with Glentoran, bringing the experienced Albert Watson into defence alongside Luke McCullough while Reece Webb is recalled to the starting XI.

Joe Crowe, Jack Hastings, and Cian O'Malley are the trio that makes the way.

Cliftonville: Ridd, Pepper, Stewart, Addis, Curran, Conlan, Gordon, Piesold, Gormley, Keaney, Wilson.

Subs: Odumosu, Pettifer, Hale, Glynn, Parsons, Corrigan, Madden.

Carrick Rangers: McIntyre, Forsythe, Watson, Cushley, Maciulaitis, McCullough, Clucas, Gibson, Webb, Boyle, O’Brien.

Subs: Glendinning, Buchanan-Rolleston, Andrews, Boyd, Forbes, Hastings, O’Reilly.

Image source, BBC Sport

Crowned Irish Premiership champions with six games to spare, Linfield have become the first team to win the league before the end-of-season 'split'.

Glentoran's failure to beat Larne on Tuesday night saw David Healy's men amass an unassailable advantage and regain the Gibson Cup after Larne's back-to-back title wins of the past two years.

Despite their huge lead at the top of the table, the south Belfast side have dealt with plenty of difficulties along the way including speculation over the futures of their manager and best player, key changes in personnel through the season and a string of frustrating defeats to their biggest rivals.

Read Jonathan Bradley's look back on how Linfield won the title with over a month remaining here.

Image source, Inpho

It comes round so quickly! Yes, we're at that advanced stage of the season where we've reached the final set of pre-split fixtures in the Irish Premiership and although the league title may have been decided much earlier than usual and the relegation and promotion/relegation play-off positions look nailed on, there's still plenty to play for.

Glentoran and Larne will continue their bids to secure the second-place finish which would ensure European football when they host Crusaders and travel to Glenavon respectively this afternoon.

There's lots at stake for the Crues too at the Oval as three points for Declan Caddell's fifth-placed side would make sure of their berth in the top six for the post-split matches.

Coleraine and Portadown lock horns at Ballycastle Road with their ambitions of competing in the top half also on the line.

Both teams currently sit on 46 points, but the Bannsiders occupy sixth place in the standings in light of their superior goal difference.

Elsewhere, Cliftonville host Carrick Rangers at Solitude and Loughgall are at home to Ballymena United.

We'll have our usual offering of live audio courtesy of Radio Ulster's Sportsound, live text commentary and in-play clips followed by a report and highlights from each of the day's five fixtures.

Stay with us, you won't miss a thing, we have you covered!