Scheduled to take place at Markievicz Park at 3.30pm on Saturday, Sligo and Galway will face off in the Connacht SFC semi-final. Galway is expected to have quite an upper hand, having previously thrashed Sligo 2-20 to 0-12 in the 2023 Connacht finals and triumphing by 47 points across the last three championship meetings. Despite Sligo’s impressive performance this season, the hurdle of Galway lead by Tony McEntee is predicted to be a tall one.
Following this, Kerry and Cork will engage in the Munster SSF semi-final at the Fitzgerald Stadium (4.0pm live on GAAGo). It has been since the Munster final in 1996 that Cork managed to defeat Kerry in a championship match located in Killarney. Although Cork concluded the league on a four-match winning streak, their chances of changing this statistic aren’t very hopeful. Thus, the forecast suggests another victory for Kerry who maintains a decent position in Division One without overstraining themselves.
At 6.0pm, Fraher Field will host the match between Waterford and Clare in an unexpected Munster semi-final. Despite their shocking win over Tipperary, Munster’s final match since 1960, it’s improbable that Waterford, who completed the league with a significant scoring difference of -70 in Division Four, will outdo Clare who ranks third in Division Three with an 11-point scoring variance.
Last but not least, the Ulster SFC quarter-final is scheduled between Derry and Donegal, and will be broadcast live at 6.15 pm from Celtic Park on RTÉ & BBC.
The football championship has reached its most crucial match yet, although even the team that falls at this hurdle may still come away with a kind of reward. The victorious side will have a swift pivot to the next Ulster semi-final match, taking on either Tyrone or Cavan, whereas the losing team will have a respite of four or five weeks to prepare for the All-Ireland series. Despite this, both managers, Mickey Harte and Jim McGuinness, are determined to secure a win at Celtic Park. This is set to be thrilling, captivating match, most notably in observing how Donegal strategise around Derry’s kick out. However, ultimately, Harte’s team is at a more advanced stage in their development than Donegal currently is.
Prediction: Derry will have the upper hand.
Sunday
Connacht SFC semi-final
Roscommon v Mayo, Dr Hyde Park, 4.0 (RTÉ)
Davy Burke’s second season in Roscommon has been fraught with difficulties – the team’s demotion from Division One, having only scored a meagre 92 points. Over their last five championship encounters, Roscommon and Mayo have each walked away with two victories and have also seen one draw. It’s reasonable to suggest that Mayo have paid greater attention to their competition this season than ahead of their last year’s clash, which happened just a week after the league final. In the recent Division One match between the two sides, Mayo emerged as the undisputed winners by six points.
Prediction: Mayo will come out on top.
Ulster SFC quarter-final
Cavan v Tyrone, Kingspan Breffni, 4.0 (BBC)
Cavan holds the advantage as they’ve already notched up a win in the championship, defeating Monaghan in the preliminary round. However, the result of this match will hinge more on the form Tyrone exhibits. Their inconsistent league performance must be of concern within the team. The trump card they carry to Breffni for this quarter-final is an offensive team packing more firepower than Cavan. If players like Darragh Canavan or Darren McCurry come into their own, Tyrone will get through.
Prediction: Tyrone will clinch victory.