Saturday
All-Ireland SFC
Roscommon v Cavan, Glennon Bros Pearse Park, 5.0 – Roscommon have had decent intervals in their matches to date and they have enough done to be favoured here against a Cavan team, who have been on an extreme learning curve, against exclusively Division One opposition, and now opponents who also played at that level this year. Against Dublin, Oisín Brady was tidy in his finishing and that will be needed again. Roscommon, though, have been operating at a higher level and that should tell even though there have been rumours about Enda Smith’s availability and he is named in the panel. Verdict: Roscommon
Derry v Westmeath, Páirc Esler, 7.0 [Live, GAAGo] – How bad is the Derry malaise? Without being favourites to add to the league winners’ pain, Westmeath are well capable of turning them over if Mickey Harte’s team turn up in the sort of sloppy mood that has handed matches to opponents in recent weeks. Assuming, however, Derry get their act together they can target their opponents’ weaknesses, which primarily is inadequate creation of scoring chances and correspondingly small totals. Both teams are goal-shy – along with Donegal and Meath, the only teams yet to score a goal in the group stages. This is an opportunity for Derry to shake off awful championship form so far. Verdict: Derry
Donegal v Clare, Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, 3.0 – Cork provided a sobering experience for Donegal by running hard at them and contesting possession rather than warily standing off. Clare have the capacity for a similar game but not really the wherewithal to execute it for 70 minutes. On a form line through Cork, that’s encouraging for Mark Fitzgerald’s team but taking Tyrone as the comparator, less so. The Ulster champions can still top the group if they win well here and Tyrone beat Cork. We can expect Donegal to do their part. Verdict: Donegal
Tyrone v Cork, Glenisk O’Connor Park, 3.0 [Live, GAAGo] – A big match for Cork, who have the chance to win the group if they avoid defeat here. In a way the teams are well matched in that both are looking for consistency. Tyrone have been overhauling the wider panel and are able to incorporate some of the All-Ireland winning Under-20s, including the grade FOTY, Shea O’Hare. Can Cork replicate the relentlessness that undid Donegal. Verdict: Tyrone
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Tailteann Cup quarter-finals
[Extra time and winner on the day protocol]
Down v Wicklow, Páirc Esler, 4.30 [Live, GAAGo] – Great win on the road for Wicklow last week against Leitrim. Down aren’t championship favourites for nothing, though. Verdict: Down
Sligo v Limerick, Markievicz Park, 5.0 – Limerick have done exceptionally well to revive after a terrible year but Sligo have been building incrementally and look too strong. Verdict: Sligo
Fermanagh v Antrim, Brewster Park, 6.0 – Both teams are unbeaten so far but Antrim’s performances haven’t been as impressive as Fermanagh’s, including the huffing and puffing to beat London last week. Verdict: Fermanagh
All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-finals
Offaly v Cork, Glenisk O’Connor Park, 5.15 [Live, GAAGo] – This pointless round is simply getting in the way of Offaly’s celebrating the McDonagh Cup. A year ago, it intruded on their grief at losing the final and they got pistol-whipped by Tipperary. Cork are buoyant at their Munster form and have the physicality and razor-wire attack, as evident in their 27-point league defeat of this weekend’s opponents, to make this uncomfortable. Verdict: Cork
Laois v Wexford, Laois Hire O’Moore Park, 5.0 – Laois are never intimidated by having to play Wexford even though they rarely get anything out of the fixture. They have a more mature team than Offaly, who beat them to the McDonagh Cup, and should be better able for the combat. Wexford had a good Leinster once they got a poor start out of the way and Lee Chin continues to excel. Verdict: Wexford
Sunday
All-Ireland SFC
Galway v Armagh, Markievicz Park, 1.45 [Live, RTÉ One] – This fixture has been a significant one in the past two years and once more the counties meet with an unimpeded quarter-final spot up for grabs. Armagh were the latest team to look good against Derry but they will come up against an implacable defence here, which is unaffected by the ongoing injury woes that keep Damien Comer out of the attack. Armagh have been motoring well this year, slipping up though on the biggest days, but have their own injury concerns with Ciarán Mackin out for the season. Comer is such a key figure for the team that it is tempting to write them off in his absence but they are not a one-man band. Verdict: Galway
Monaghan v Meath, Kingspan Breffni, 3.0 [Live, GAAGo] – Two teams on a terrible run. Monaghan haven’t won competitively since beating Dublin in Croke Park on the opening day of the league. Their battling draw with Louth does, however, put them in a higher category than Meath who lost to their neighbours by 10. Verdict: Monaghan
Louth v Kerry, Laois Hire O’Moore Park, 3.0 – Louth have improved admirably on last year, having three rather than zero points, but this will be the acid test. Unfortunately for Ger Brennan’s team, they are down two significant players between Niall Sharkey’s departure to Australia and Ciarán Downey’s injury. This ended in annihilation last year but Louth will hope to dampen Kerry’s onslaught as they did with Dublin’s in the Leinster final. Verdict: Kerry
Dublin v Mayo, Dr Hyde Park, 3.45 [Live, RTÉ One] – Mayo aren’t given a huge chance here despite an argument that they have bounced back from any adversity in the past two seasons and navigated this group quite effectively after losing the Connacht final in the tightest of circumstances, having looked likely winners. There are rumoured Mayo injuries but no sign of them on the team sheet. Pushing against too upbeat a take on the team is the inconsistency of last year – beating Kerry in Killarney and then losing to Cork – as well as the cuffing they got from this weekend’s opponents in the quarter-finals. The champions have James McCarthy back, which is good news for an at times creaky defence, which will seek to shut down Ryan O’Donoghue. Problems for Mayo in the absence of captain Patrick Durcan is the usual one of which Dublin forwards to mark and whether they can all be restricted to a manageable target. Verdict: Dublin
Tailteann Cup
[Extra time and winner on the day protocol]
Kildare v Laois, Glenisk O’Connor Park, 1.15 [Live, GAAGo] – Kildare appear to have rolled up their sleeves and made a serious bid for this. Laois were unimpressive in beating New York. Verdict: Kildare
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