A vulnerable Tivoli Gardens, seething from their first loss of the season and winless in their last seven games, will have to lift their heads to repel the dangerous Boys’ Town in the marquee match-up of the Red Stripe Premier League at the Edward Seaga Stadium at 5:00 pm.

In the other games: Portmore United travel to Highgate; Arnett Gardens host Sporting Central; Reno tackle Harbour View; Humble Lion play Village United and Waterhouse take on Montego Bay United.

In a keenly-fought league, defending champions Tivoli are finding it difficult to secure wins, having not won since October 19 when they clipped Portmore, 1-0.

But despite their winless streak, the Glendon “Admiral” Bailey-coached outfit are just four points adrift of the leaders and are third.

They lost the End-of-Round final, drew with a lowly Montego Bay United, who missed a late penalty that could have sealed the game, then succumbed to old rivals Arnett Gardens on Wednesday.

It must be worrying times for Tivoli, despite having one of the most potent strike forces in the league comprising Navion Boyd, Mitchily Waul, Devon Hodges, Roland Dean and young Dane Kelly.

Hodges will be out on a red card, along with Kemar Flemmings, and Tivoli will struggle to get the better of seventh-placed Boys’ Town, on 18 points and looking to leapfrog them.

Boys’ Town themselves are struggling to secure wins, having not won in their last four games, and today’s encounter will be of paramount importance for both.

Leaders Portmore, on 24 points, are 10 ahead of Highgate United, in 10th spot, but that gap won’t be evident on the field of play and another close encounter is in store.

When they met at Ferdie Neita Park on September 25, the game ended 0-0 and Highgate could upset the applecart playing at home at Lynch Park.

The surging Arnett Gardens and the dangerous Sporting Central, both on 19 points in fourth and fifth, respectively, should provide a thriller at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.

In their first encounter, Sporting whipped Arnett Gardens, 3-1, at Brancourt and the home team will be hell-bent of avenging their biggest defeat of the season.

Arnett seemed to have found form, winning three of their last four matches with full points over Portmore United, Village United and Tivoli.

Despite playing without influential goalscorer Kirk Ramsey, Arnett have found a new lease on life with the injection of Under-21 competition’s leading goalscorer Omar Gordon, plus the return to form of Leon Strickland and Jonathan Williams.

The tall Rohan Reid has been in tremendous form, along with Girvon Brown, Vanado Manning, William Richards, Ryan Powell, Ricardo Scott and Kemar Brown.

Clarendon-based Sporting now have the league’s leading goalscorer in LeVaughn “Country” Williams, and along with Jamoly Powell, Linval Lewis, Francois Swaby and Gregory Lewis, should prove hard to beat.

Second-placed Waterhouse, on 22 points, and Montego Bay, in 11th with 12, should be embroiled in a close battle at the Catherine Hall Complex.

Montego Bay missed a glorious chance to beat Tivoli last Sunday, missing a penalty in the dying moments of their 1-1 draw, and could go one better against Waterhouse.

Former champions Reno and Harbour View, both on 16 points and slipping down the table, are hungry for a win in a match that can go either way.

Meanwhile sixth-placed Humble Lion, on 18 points, must be wary of a Village United aggregation at the bottom of the league on five points and eager to start a good run.