Donegal likely to be facing scenic route

Analysis: Donegal have been a bit of a surprise coming from a season in Division Two of the league, but they have shown great appetite and the quality of their football against Down and Derry was very impressive.

Their forwards have been so good Adrian Sweeney wasn't able to get a start until Michael Doherty's injury. Christy Toye is an outstanding wing forward and Michael Hegarty is back in his best position. He's a really clever centre forward with great football vision and was wasted in defence.

Brian McIver also laid down a marker on discipline earlier in the year, which has meant them playing without Kevin Cassidy, who has been both an international and an All Star. Discipline has been a problem for the county in the past and the reason why, despite having talented players, they have made disappointing exits in recent championships. But, so far, McIver has them playing with spirit and unity.

I think there's maybe more of a cutting edge to them as well. They're not launching as many crossfield passes and back passes. They're pushing forward more, with midfield supporting the half forwards - it's that bit more direct. But losing a scoring forward like Doherty is a big setback.

Armagh's age profile is against them. Although they've brought in a number of new faces their most influential players are pushing on, but they know each other so well and are such a good team under Joe Kernan you would never bet against them.

They also have forwards who deliver on big days - Ronan Clarke, Oisín McConville and Steven McDonnell can all get telling scores, even if a game isn't going well for them. We saw that in last year's Ulster final.

They also have great leaders like Paul McGrane and Kieran McGeeney, who give terrific example. It's obviously safer playing McGeeney at this stage at midfield rather than centre back, but he could still suffer in a fast game.

Then there's motivation. There's nothing like a narrow defeat in Croke Park to drive you on, which is one of the reasons it's so difficult for winners to repeat their success the following year.

When it comes to winning tight games, they're very well prepared. Their conditioning is second to none and their fitness the best in the country over the past couple of years. Mental strength comes from that ability to keep going physically.

We won't see great celebrations if Armagh win, because even if six titles in eight years is a phenomenal achievement, they're planning for bigger things.

They'll want to win tomorrow because it's the most direct route to the All-Ireland and I believe they will.