Tuesday treat with full round of Irish Premiership games

ByLauren McCann

BBC Sport NI Journalist

There is a rare midweek treat for Irish Premiership fans on Tuesday, with all 12 teams in action in a full round of fixtures.

Making it even sweeter is the fact that while Larne v Glentoran at Inver Park will be the main offering, all six games can be viewed on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website using the multi-screen option.

There will also be the usual offering of live text commentary and in-play clips with report, highlights and reaction to follow so you won't miss any of the action.

With all six games having implications for the top and bottom of the table, BBC Sport NI takes a look at some of the main talking points before Tuesday's games.

There is no better place to start than at the top of the table, where Irish Premiership leaders Larne will look to extend their advantage when they host Glentoran.

The in-form Inver Reds, who beat Warrenpoint Town on Saturday to progress in the Irish Cup, are eight points clear of second place Coleraine with a game in hand and 13 ahead of the Glens.

Larne's last league defeat was against Dungannon Swifts on the 4 October and their long unbeaten run has been key to them pulling away from the chasing pack.

They picked up an impressive 4-1 victory over the Glens at the Oval last month and with Andy Ryan back fit and firing and the likes of Paul O'Neill and Tiernan O'Connor among those chipping in with important goals, they will be confident of pulling off another big result which would move them closer to a third title in four years.

Glentoran, meanwhile, have bounced back well from that heavy home defeat by Larne last month.

Buoyed by a number of impressive January additions and the form of striker Pat Hoban, who has 15 league goals already, they Glens have won their last four in all competitions.

That includes a BetMcLean Cup semi-final win against Coleraine last week, to set up a mouth-watering decider against Linfield next month.

For now, their full focus will be on league action and closing the gap on the Bannsiders in the race for automatic European qualification.

Declan Devine's side have quite the fixture pile-up due to a number of postponements in recent weeks, so a big win against the league leaders would certainly boost confidence ahead of a run of at least nine more games in all competitions before the split.

A tough start to 2026 has increased scrutiny on manager Niall Currie.

The Ports are ninth in the table, but have lost their last three league games, with Carrick strolling to a 3-0 victory at Shamrock Park in their previous league encounter.

Currie's side were dumped out of the Irish Cup by holders Dungannon Swifts on Saturday, so their focus will now be on the league and ensuring they pull away from the relegation picture.

It can be done with a few wins, as evidenced by Carrick's remarkable turnaround, but their next four fixtures are all against sides above them, starting with Coleraine away on Tuesday before games against Larne, Cliftonville and Dungannon Swifts.

The Bannsiders will be hoping to capitalise on any potential slip-ups from Larne at Inver Park and extend their own three game winning streak in the league to cement second position in the league and their involvement in European competition next season, without having to go through the play-offs.

Just nine points separate Dungannon Swifts in fifth place and Bangor in eighth.

With Larne, Coleraine, Glentoran and Linfield looking nailed on to finish in the top half there are just two more spots up for grabs.

A rare win for the Swifts away to the Blues on Tuesday would help them to move closer to a second successive top half finish and leave them just three points off David Healy's side, with boss Rodney McAree stating that is their target.

Carrick are eight points further behind, but occupy sixth by virtue of their tremendous turnaround in form.

They are unbeaten in their last five games and will fancy their chances of extending that record when they host struggling Glenavon.

The other two sides who are just a point off Stephen Baxter's team are Cliftonville and Bangor, who meet at Solitude on Tuesday.

It's been a turbulent period on and off the pitch for Cliftonville, which culminated in the resignation of chairman Kieran Harding on Saturday soon after their dramatic late Irish Cup win over Glenavon.

Boss Jim Magilton hopes that victory can be the catalyst for an upturn in their league form as their last league win came on 13 December.

Bangor have also hit a sticky patch following their bright start to life back in the top flight.

They have lost their last three league games, but they did beat the Reds in August and picked up a point against them in December.

Crusaders and Ballymena United have been dragged right into the thick of a relegation battle alongside basement side Glenavon, who have had a bit of a revival under Michael O'Connor.

The Crues, who have been ravaged by injury this season and lost experienced players Jarlath O'Rourke and Ross Clarke in January, are 11th in the table, just nine points above Glenavon.

They have lost their previous three league games and face a crunch fixture against Ballymena at the Warden Street Showgrounds.

The Sky Blues are a point better off than the north Belfast side and have a game in hand but they too have struggled of late and are winless in their last four league games.

With both sides already out of the Irish Cup they have had some extra time to prepare for this six-pointer and all three points is a must although the previous two league meetings between the sides ended in draws.

Glenavon also have a difficult task as they travel to in-form Carrick looking to build on their crucial league win against Cliftonville last time out with the games running out as the Lurgan Blues look claw their way out of trouble.