The two managers could have been sitting in the same dugout today if Kris Lindsay had accepted Linfield boss David Healy's offer to join his coaching staff in the summer. Instead, former Glenavon coach Lindsay finds himself still looking for his first league win as Dungannon Swifts manager as they welcome the Blues to Stangmore Park.

They did find solace in the Mid Ulster Cup during the week, where they beat Banbridge Rovers 4-1. The Blues, meanwhile, bounced back from their shock defeat by Ards last weekend by beating Glentoran in the Co Antrim Shield quarter-finals on Tuesday night.

Healy makes three changes to the Shield side, with Mark Stafford, Kirk Millar and Daniel Kearns promoted from the bench in place of Josh Robinson, Michael O'Connor and Chris Casement.

Lindsay rings the changes with six players coming into the team - goalkeeper Niall Morgan, Jake Dykes, Seanan Clucas, Daniel Hughes, Paul McElroy and Alan Teggart.

Dungannon Swifts: Morgan, Dykes, Hegarty, Wilson, Clucas, Hughes, McElroy, Teggart, O’Rourke, Patton, Lowe

Linfield: Carroll, Stafford, Callacher, Waterworth, Cooper, Millar, Clarke, Kearns, Mulgrew, Mitchell, Quinn

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Both sides are coming off midweek wins in the Co Antrim Shield and there's three changes from the hosts while Stephen Baxter makes four in the Crues line-up.

Sky Blues boss David Jeffrey brings in Cathair Friel, James Knowles and Adan Lecky for the visit of the champions with Basit Umar, Ryan Mayse and Reece Glendinning dropping out.

Philip Lowry, Michael Carvill, Jordan Owens and Rodney Brown are the quartet drafted in by Baxter while Mark McChrystal, Ross Clarke, Paul Heatley and Rory Patterson make way.

Just a point separates the sides so Ballymena will move above the third-placed Crues with a Showgrounds victory.

Ballymena United: Glendinning, Addis, Whiteside, Friel, Knowles, McCullough, Faulkner, McGrory, Balmer, Lecky, Millar.

Crusaders: O’Neill, Beverland, Lowry, Ward, Glackin, Carvill, Forsythe, J Owens, K Owens, Snoddy, Brown.

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Glentoran boss Ronnie McFall makes one change from Tuesday night's County Antrim Shield defeat to Linfield, with Robbie McDaid in for Peter McMahon.

Curtis Allen, still on the hunt to become a Glens centurion, leads the line once again, having scored in each of the last three league meetings between these sides.

David Elebert, Adam McAleenan and Jonathan Frazer return to the starting line-up for Colin Nixon's visitors, who are looking to recover from their own cup disappointment midweek following the 3-1 defeat to Larne.

However, following a shock 2-1 win over Linfield last Saturday, Ards will be confident of securing three points at The Oval to move four points clear of Newry City ahead of their trip to table-toppers Glenavon this evening.

Glentoran: Morris, Kane, Gallagher, Herron, Allen, McDaid, Davidson, Kerr, Crowe, Redman, Ferrin

Ards: Johnston, Byers, Elebert, Frazer, Kelly, McAllister, Kelly, Tommons, McClean, Nelson, McAleenan

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A repeat of last year's Irish Cup final sees two sides looking to find some much-needed consistency after securing wins last week.

Rodney McAree got the proverbial monkey off his back with that victory over Crusaders and unsurprisingly sticks with the same side but is forced into one change as Jamie McGonigle replaces the oh so unlucky James McLaughlin, who was taken off with injury in the first half last week.

After Tuesday's defeat in the Co Antrim Shield, Barry Gray gave a clear warning to his defenders: you have until the January transfer window to save you jobs, he said.A clean sheet against Coleraine would be no mean feat but Gray is demanding his players rise to the occasion. Two changes are made from last week's win over Warrenpoint, Ross Lavery and Ryan Curran are in for Damien McNulty and Conor McMenamin.

Coleraine: Johns, Mullan, Harkin, McCauley, Lowry, Carson, McConaghie, Burns, O'Donnell, McGonigle, Canning.

Cliftonville: Brush, McGovern, Ives, Breen, C Curran, R Curran, R Donnelly, Catney, Gormley, J Donnelly, Lavery.

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Sometimes two hours of Irish Premiership football just isn't enough, is it?

And so, with the help of the league's scheduling team, the build-up to four bumper hours of delicious local football begins right now.

Table-toppers Glenavon provide today's finale with a 17:00 BST kick-off for their Mourneview meeting with Newry City. It's the traditional 15:00 start for the rest including Linfield, who lie a point behind the Lurgan Blues after last week's shock defeat to Ards, visiting basement boys Dungannon Swifts.

There's a couple of tasty treats featuring the teams sitting third to sixth. Ballymena United host champions Crusaders while Coleraine boss Rodney McAree, fresh for his first win in charge of the Bannsiders at the seventh attempt, puts his team up against Cliftonville at the Showgrounds.

Ards are seeking to keep the good times rolling as they travel to face Glentoran while Milltown is the venue for Warrenpoint Town's encounter with Institute.

You may as well pop the kettle on now. Click that little audio button at the top of this page and let us, with the help of our talented friends over on Radio Ulster, guide you through the afternoon.

Any thoughts, predications and analysis are, as always, welcome by using #bbcirishprem.