Donegal may find it hard to breathe

Armagh v Donegal: A big weekend for football in the north with the Bank of Ireland Ulster final tomorrow and, this afternoon, Derry and Tyrone meet in what the counties are billing - not entirely frivolously - as the "real Ulster final".

That's unfair on the teams that beat them en route to Clones.

Armagh have been a surprise to those who felt that 2000 might have represented a highpoint for the team. Under the new management of Joe Kernan, the team has perked up and arrives in the final well placed to win a third title in four years.

Donegal have developed well under Mickey Moran and have been impressive this year. Theirs is a fluid style with the traditional preference for a fast moving, short game.

Up front, Brendan Devenney and Adrian Sweeney have provided the cutting edge with comfortable wins over Cavan and Down and an altogether tighter but gutsy success over Derry.

There has to be apprehension in Donegal about Devenney's fitness given that he was involved in a car crash less than a fortnight ago, but he is named at full forward.

This will be a far more claustrophobic match for Donegal. Armagh are physically strong and experts at squeezing space.

Should Paul McGonigle depart on his usual odyssey from the corner, Francie Bellew will pick him up and will be more than happy to do so.

That leaves the McNultys to mark Devenney and Sweeney and both are good man-markers. It could be that Brian Roper will be pitched in to the full-forward line, but Aidan O'Rourke won't be fazed by the challenge.

At centre back, Kieran McGeeney is in great form and Michael Hegarty will try to drag him out of position, but, although a good point-scorer, he is unlikely to disorientate his marker.

Former joint manager Brian Canavan says that after the close call in 2000, it was suggested that Armagh had to improve only one per cent to win an All-Ireland.

His response was that for that formula to be true, the team would have to sustain all the other areas of performance.

This is what Kernan has managed to do - restore the performances of two years ago.

As might have been expected from his former Crossmaglen protégé, Oisin McConville is playing as well as ever for the county while Steven McDonnell continues to be sharp in the corner.

There is likely to be a lot of pressure on Donegal's defence, particularly in the half backs.

Donegal's centrefield is more mobile and could open up play, but could also be physically dominated by John Toal and the capable Paul McGrane.

Armagh's pairing have the more dependable look as John Gildea and Jimmy McGuinness can be mercurial, although if they get a run on the opposition they can be the launching pad for the attack.

Ultimately, Donegal should struggle in this sector for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, the Armagh challenge is big and physical and shut down Tyrone quite effectively in the first round even when Peter Canavan was playing.

Secondly, they have the strength in pivotal positions. McGeeney facing the ball and John McEntee leading the attack present formidable bulwarks to any side trying to build from deep.

Throw in the menace of McDonnell and Diarmuid Marsden and the fact that Armagh are happy that they at last have a conventional full forward in Ronan Clarke and the team's inside line carries high scoring potential.

If Donegal could get Armagh onto the back foot at an early stage, they could effectively run the game, but, looking at Armagh. It's not easy to identify places to run.

DONEGAL: T Blake; S Carr, M Crossan, N McGinley; R Sweeney, B Monaghan, K Cassidy; J Gildea, J McGuinness; C Toye, M Hegarty, B Roper; A Sweeney, B Devenney, P McGonigle.

ARMAGH: B Tierney; E McNulty, J McNulty, F Bellew; A O'Rourke, K McGeeney, K Hughes; J Toal, P McGrane; P McKeever, J McEntee, O McConville; S McDonnell, R Clarke, D Marsden.