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Monaghan vs Cavan: Ulster Football Preview & Starting Team News

Monaghan vs Cavan is the opener for what is easily the most competitive of the Provincial Championships. Last year, the same fixture threw up an upset as Cavan prevailed. Now, following the relegation to Division 3, Cavan are underdogs again. But, Monaghan are not exactly carrying form into this game. Hence, it could be an exciting tie to kick off an exciting Championship.

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In round 7 of the National League, a draw with Meath was enough to see Monaghan survive in the top Division. In what was an up-and-down League for the Farney men, they will be content as they head into knock-out football. The Meath draw was preceded by a loss to Kerry. But, Seamus McEnaney will have told his side that if they were to lose, that was the time to do so.

2019’s defeat to Cavan in the Ulster Championship will be at the front of McEnaney’s mind. The loss shook the team who went on to lose to Armagh in the qualifiers. Now, he will be relying on his talisman Conor McManus to lead from the front. Thankfully for McEnaney, McManus is finding form at the right time. He scored 1-08 against Meath and 0-05 the week before against Kerry in just 35 minutes.

Cavan need to show mental toughness

On the other hand, Cavan will be wishing they had another week to prepare for this fixture. Last year’s trip to the Ulster final seems like a long time ago now in light of their new Division 3 status. Two losses since the restart will need to be quickly forgotten about by Mickey Graham’s men.

Graham admitted his side “got what we deserved” after failing to get a result against Roscommon. In fact, a win on the day could have seen Cavan finish in the promotion spots. But, Division 2 was the tightest of the four and, true to form, the loss saw Cavan fall to 7th. Graham continued to confess nerves among his team before the game.

If Cavan are to replicate their victory from last season, they need to quickly make peace with their League result. In the Championship there will be no time to wallow in self-pity. In particular, the Ulster Championship will be a gruelling one on its own. Beginning in the preliminary round only adds to the challenge.

Paddy Power rightfully have Monaghan at 3/10 favourites. Cavan are 10/3 and a draw is 8/1. The game is live on Sky Sports.

Prediction: Monaghan.

Starting Teams

Monaghan: Rory Beegan, Kieran Duffy, Conor Boyle, Ryan Whylie, Dessie Ward, Fintan Kelly, Karl O’Connor, Darren Hughes, Kieran Hughes, Ryan McAnespie, Micheál Bannigan, Dermot Malone, Stephen O’Hanlon, Conor McCarthy, Conor McManus

Cavan: Raymond Galligan, Jason McLoughlin, Killian Clarke, Killian Brady, Gerard Smith, Ciaran Brady, Luke Fortune, James Smith, Padraig Faulkner, Martin Reilly, Gearoid McKernan, Oisin Kieran, Oisin Pierson, Chris Conway, Cormac O’Reilly

 

Ulster Football Championship Preliminary Round: Monaghan vs Cavan, Saturday, October 31st, 1.15pm (Clones).

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Arsenal dominate as Dundalk slump to defeat

The match finished 3-0 after goals from Nketiah, Willock and Pepe

There was a palpable sense of excitement as Dundalk took on Arsenal in the Europa League group stage tonight. Dundalk were considered massive underdogs going into the match. There really wasn’t a great deal of expectation on their shoulders. Most were just happy to see a League of Ireland side compete at a high European level. Anything other than a loss would have been nice for Dundalk but realistically that was never likely, particularly given the club’s domestic form this season and the loss in their last Europa League outing.

The difference in quality showed in the end as Arsenal ran out 3-0 winners, but Dundalk can be largely happy with their performance. Dundalk can’t have too many complaints about the scoreline given some of the results we’ve seen in Europe over the past few months.

Dundalk went with a back five for this game as opposed to their usual four at the back. This would be a sign of things to come as Dundalk remained on the backfoot for the majority of the game. They held a very low line as Arsenal dominated possession and tried to fashion opportunities, but to Dundalk’s credit, they defended very well for much of the game.

They were very good in the first half, particularly. Arsenal tried and tried to break down the opposition defence and struggled at nearly every occasion as Dundalk held their line well and kept the Gunners at bay. In fact, it took Arsenal 30 odd minutes to get their first shot on target. In contrast, Dundalk managed to test the Arsenal keeper after just 4 minutes as McEleney let fly from distance. His shot was low and powerful as the keeper tipped the ball behind for a corner which came to nothing.

Although Dundalk did have the first opportunity of the game, they weren’t exactly positive in their game plan for most of the match. They mainly relied on counter attacks to provide attacking output and rarely kept possession in the final third.

Michael “Thierry” Duffy was much talked about prior to the match as being one to watch but he failed to make an impact like he normally does. Nevertheless, it would have been a special occasion for the Derry man who’s a big Arsenal fan himself.

Dundalk nearly went into half time with a clean sheet, but Arsenal finally managed to break through with a goal in the 42nd minute. Unfortunately for Dundalk, it was a goalkeeper mistake that led to the goal as Gary Rogers failed to deal with a corner and it was an easy tap in for Eddie Nketiah in the end. The goal was very unfortunate and cruel for Gary Rogers who has been a reliable keeper for a dominant Dundalk side over the years.

It didn’t take long before it was 2-0 as an unfortunate deflection off a Dundalk player fell to the feet of Joe Willock. He made no mistake as he finished into the roof of the net in the 44th minute.

The final goal came just after the second half begun. Gary Rogers could do nothing about the strike this time as Nicolas Pepe launched a missile of a strike into the net. Pepe failed to get going before his goal, but his strike demonstrated the quality he possess. He took the strike on with his weak foot as he was being closed down by onrushing Dundalk defenders, but he didn’t panic under pressure as his effort whistled into the top right corner. Brilliant goal. In truth, Arsenal could do with more consistency from the Ivorian winger as he’s failed to live up to his price tag thus far. Clearly he has a lot to offer but he must start doing so on a consistent basis.

After a frantic few minutes for Dundalk both sides of the half, they defended well again afterwards and ended Arsenal’s goalscoring exploits. The back three of Brian Gartland, Andy Boyle and Daniel Cleary performed admirably as they held their line well and helped to avoid disgrace at the hands of Arsenal. Chris Shields also performed well in a deeper midfield role as he broke up play a handful of times to relieve pressure.

Dundalk’s next fixture is an important match away to St. Pat’s on Sunday. Dundalk currently sit 3rd in the league table on 25 points. There are just 3 European spots up for grabs and Dundalk have missed out on the top 2 as Shamrock Rovers have claimed the League title and Bohemians sit comfortably in second. That means that Dundalk must hold their position in 3rd place. That won’t be an easy task, however, as Waterford and Sligo sit 1 and 3 points behind respectively.  Dundalk have qualified for Europe every season since 2013 so it would be a shame to see that run end, especially for Dundalk fans and players.

In terms of their next European date, they travel to Poland next Thursday to take on Rapid Wein. Like Dundalk, Wein have lost their previous Europa League group games after losing to Molde tonight. Needless to say, it should be a more competitive game than what we seen tonight.

Cork vs Waterford: Munster Hurling – Preview & Starting Team News

The Munster Hurling Championship commenced last weekend with Limerick vs Clare. Now, Cork vs Waterford will mark the first Munster semi-final on Saturday. Waterford enter this game with more to prove. On the other hand, Cork went steady in last year’s Championship without ever really threatening to be All-Ireland contenders.

Unfortunately, Cork will be without Eoin Cadogan and Darragh Fitzgibbon for the game due to injury. In addition to this, Robbie O’Flynn will serve his suspension for a red card received in March. On the other hand, Colm Spillane is available for selection. Furthermore, the suspension of the U20 Championship could mean Kieran Kingston adds some youth to his panel.

Previously, Cork’s League campaign was underwhelming as the team transitioned into Kingston’s return. This came off the back of last year’s quarter-final defeat to Kilkenny. After failing to make the Munster final last year, this is a chance to prove their ambition.

Waterford failed to win a single game in the 2019 Championship. However, Tadhg de Búrca’s return to top-form after injury means Austin Gleeson may once again feature in the forward line. A boost up front is exactly what Waterford need and Gleeson is more than worthy of providing it. The winter setting might see Waterford compete once again.

Cork are 8/15 favourites to advance to the final with Paddy Power. Meanwhile, Waterford are 15/8 and a draw is 8/1.

Sky Sports are sending their cameras to Thurles for this game.

Waterford – S O’Keeffe, S Fives, C Prunty, S McNulty, C Lyons, T De Búrca, A Gleeson
J Barron, J Dillon, K Moran, J Fagan, K Bennett ,D Hutchinson, S Bennett, J Prendergast

Prediction: Cork.

Munster Hurling Championship Semi-Final: Cork vs Waterford, Saturday, October 31st, 15:30 (Semple Stadium). 

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Arsenal vs Dundalk Match Preview

Team News

Arsenal head into Thursday night’s Europa League tie against Dundalk without defender David Luiz. The Brazilian will miss the match through injury leaving Mikel Arteta with only two senior centre-backs available for selection. One of those is Shkodran Mustafi who has recently returned from a spell on the sidelines. Young winger Reiss Nelson may also potentially start as Arteta stated that he “will get the opportunities” after the club backtracked on sending him out on loan. The Gunners travel to Old Trafford on Sunday, therefore the starting eleven will likely feature some fringe players.

It is not anticipated that Dundalk manager Filippo Giovagnoli will drift too far away from the starting line-up he picked for the Molde defeat. Veteran goalkeeper Gary Rodgers is set to return after being rested during Sunday’s defeat to Waterford. Like their opponents, Dundalk also have a decisive game on the horizon. They currently sit in third place, just one point ahead of Waterford. Their next league game is against St. Patrick’s Athletic on Sunday as the season draws to a close.

Mikel Arteta on Dundalk and Filippo Giovagnoli

In his pre-match press conference, Arsenal boss Arteta highlighted Dundalk’s strengths: “They’re really well organised, they make it really hard and they will be coming here with incredible passion”. Whilst acknowledging the difference in quality between both sides, Arteta vowed that his team won’t take the game for granted.

Dundalk manager Filippo Giovagnoli’s story has also triggered a degree of fascination from the Arsenal boss. He admitted to watching a long interview with Giovagnoli, because he wanted to learn more about the Italian and his methods. Both managers will soon go head to head, but unfortunately not on the Emirates Stadium touchline. Giovagnoli is yet to attain his UEFA Pro Licence and as a result will have to coach his side from the stands.

Dundalk will want to prove a point on Thursday evening. There is more to their play than ‘passion’. They’re not arriving in London to marvel at Arsenal’s current crop of Premier League players. They need points on the board. As young Dundalk fan Sophie Neary simply put it, “If Jamie Vardy can score against Arsenal then why can’t Pat Hoban score against Arsenal?”. 

Arsenal vs Dundalk kicks off at 8pm this evening and will be available to watch on Virgin Media Two.

 

“It’s a special season no matter what happens” says Kieran Kingston.

Cork hurling manager Kieran Kingston begins his second Championship spell in charge of the Rebels on Saturday when taking on Waterford in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship.

Kingston, who departed the Cork side following a defeat by the Déise in 2017, believes there will be a very different feeling for players this season when running out in crowd-less stadiums.

“There is no doubt the players feed off the crowd” says Kingston. “When playing for your county, part of it is running on to the pitch in either Thurles, Croke Park, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, or wherever it is. We have to look and see where we are at the moment.”

Despite the lack of crowds at games, the bank official is fully aware of the special position senior inter-county players are in with their championship going ahead.

“We are part of a special group here because we are now playing. That’s something I said to the lads. We are honoured to be able to represent our county in the time that we have. We see the minors and U20s have been cancelled – we are all sorry to see that happening. I think for the group, not just in Cork, but throughout the country, we have to not only embrace that change, but adapt to it.”

As Cork have not played a competitive game in almost eight months, the Rebels begin this campaign not knowing where they really stand.

“Up to recently we didn’t know if we would be playing. It (the Championship) will be different. We really don’t know how different it will be until next Saturday but at the same time, we have to embrace that change and be the best that we can be.”

The disrupted training schedule of the past few months has meant that training and preparation is different this year.

“During that time there were intermittent preps because guys were on their own for a bit,” admits Kingston. “They got back into the clubs and then they came back to us. Preparation is different. The logistics around playing are different.”

When asking about this weekend’s opponents, Waterford, the Corkman states his focus is on his team.

“My focus when preparing for a game like this is always on ourselves. Obviously, you have an eye on the opposition in terms of what they have done in the past, or in the last game. The focus has to be on ourselves. There is no other way of doing it. The Championship goes on, evolves and we are part of that. Then, we’ll be able to look at teams as to how they partake in their games. Starting out, the first game, it’s really focussing on ourselves.”

Despite the uncertainty surrounding sports this year, Kingston wasn’t always certain the All Ireland Championship would go ahead in 2020.

“Did I always think we’d get this far? Some days I did, some days I didn’t. There was apprehension, but thankfully there was more hope than anything else. You always have it at the back of your mind. The lads and ourselves were preparing on the basis that it would go ahead at some stage.

“It was a challenge yes. It was a challenge for us, a challenge for the players, a challenge for every county. There were times of course when anybody wasn’t sure. It was something you are not in control of. We’re all on the bus and we want to stay on the bus. No one of us was driving it, so therefore we weren’t really in control of our destiny.”

With a reduced season ahead, the Fountainstown man says:

“We’re absolutely thrilled that it (the Championship) is happening. No one wants to lose a year of their playing career. No one want to lose of forfeit a year of the Championship. It’s a special season, no matter what happens – it’s a special season.”

Republic of Ireland release new Umbro Kit

The Republic of Ireland have announced the release of their new home and away kits. The new kits mark the return of the partnership between the Ireland national team and Umbro. The Irish team have been sponsored by American company New Balance since 2017. In July 2019, the FAI extended their contract with Irish company JACC/Toplion in a deal which will run until 2026. JACC/Toplion distribute for both New Balance and Umbro.

Speaking of the six-year extension back in July of last year, JACC Sports Managing Director Jonathan Courtenay said we “will see our original and subsequent agreements surpass a total of 32 years since we first partnered with the FAI in September 1994 and will hopefully take us to Qatar in 2022, Germany in 2024 and the ‘United’ North American tournament in 2026”.

The Senior Men’s team will sport the new kit in their friendly against England at Wembley Stadium on November 12th. Furthermore, Umbro Ireland revealed that the kit will come out without shirt sponsor when purchased which will please many fans. This marks the end of an era for Ireland and mobile provider Three, who opted not to renew their sponsorship deal with the national team back in December 2019.

The new kits can be preordered here from midday today.

Derry vs Armagh: Preview, TV Channel, Prediction, Betting

The Ulster Championship will be more competitive than ever this year given the straight knock-out format of the Championship. Derry vs Armagh is the second quarter-final on Sunday. The winner of this tie will meet the winner of Donegal vs Tyrone a fortnite after.

Armagh had the more successful league campaign out of these two teams. They earned promotion to Division 1 for the first time since 2012 by beating Clare last weekend.

Oisin O’Neill said that promotion was a huge goal for the team.

“We never talked about the Championship and even since we came back, we haven’t spoken about Derry once. These two games (against Roscommon and Clare) are all that we were focused on and we didn’t get the job done last week but we did this week.”

The win gives Armagh some much-needed momentum going into the most competitive of all the Provincial Championships. They would have perhaps learned more from the defeat to Roscommon than from the win against Clare. Either way, Kieran McGeeney will be delighted to have two games under the belt before heading into this one.

Oakleaves starting to Blossom?

Meanwhile, Derry made an impressive return to action and did all in their power to threaten the promotion places in Division 3. However, they just missed out thanks to their head-to-head record with Down. Firstly, a win at home to Longford marked a successful return to action. Secondly, Derry showed they weren’t just heading into the Championship to take part with a two-point on the road to Offaly.

Rory Gallagher has acknowledged that the lockdown was perhaps beneficial to his squad as it allowed injuries to heal. As a result, Gallagher will have a full squad at his disposal for the Armagh game with the sole exception of Karl McCaigue. Thankfully, the return of Conor Glass from the AFL has significantly strengthened the spine of the Derry team.

After last year’s disappointing Championship that ended in round 2 of the qualifiers, Derry are out to prove that they are able to challenge in Ulster. But, they haven’t been in a final since 2011 and are still on the upward curve.

In contrast, Armagh were unlucky to lose out in the Ulster semi-final replay to Cavan last year. A win over Monaghan was a big way to recover. But, Mayo eliminated them in the following round after a thrilling contest.

The home side are 15/8 outsiders and the Orchard county are 8/15 with Paddy Power. A draw is 15/2.

The game is live on BBC Northern Ireland.

Prediction: Armagh.

Ulster Football Championship Quarter-Final: Derry vs Armagh, Sunday, November 1st, 16:00 (Celtic Park). 

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Donegal vs Tyrone: Preview, TV Channel, Prediction, Betting

We had a preview of Donegal vs Tyrone two weekends ago when the National League resumed. On that occasion, Donegal were convincing four points winners. But, Tyrone bounced back with a big performance in Mayo that makes this the game to look out for in the opening weekend of the Championship.

The League game between these sides predictably saw some rustiness among the Tyrone side. However, Donegal hit the ground running and their 2-17 tally was an impressive one.

As a result, Declan Bonner chose to rest some of his key players such as Michael Murphy, Ryan McHugh, and Neil McGee for the Kerry game last weekend. Their absence was evident as Kerry claimed a fourteen-point victory. The result won’t rest on Bonner’s mind though as he has gotten a good look at his players.

Paddy McBrearty is yet to feature since the restart. Likewise, Odhrán McFadden-Ferry is out with injury. But, the Kerry game saw Michael Langan return and present himself for selection.

Meanwhile, Tyrone responded to their defeat to Donegal by winning an important game in Castlebar to remain in Division 1. They won by a single point and impressively held their nerve against a Mayo fightback.

Most notably, Conor McKenna’s return to the red and white has been an eventful one. After scoring 1-2 against Donegal, he scored a further 2-2 against Mayo. Furthermore, the return of Peter Harte meant another 0-3 on the scoreboard.

In addition to this, Dara Canavan, son of Tyrone legend Peter, played over an hour in McHale Park and left the pitch with 1-1 to his name. Despite Cathal McShane’s absence, the Tyrone forward line seems to be clicking at the right time.

No Second Chances

Last season, these teams met in the Championship at the Provincial semi-final stage. Donegal were victorious that day but Tyrone still made it to Super 8s. In fact, they emerged from their group to the semi-finals unlike Donegal who failed to earn a result in Castlebar.

Despite the recent outcome of the League game between these two, this is going to be a titanic clash in the Championship. The Football Championship is guaranteed to lose a big contender here early on. Whereas, the winner will gather huge momentum which will be needed to get out of Ulster. Otherwise, there are still strong teams that could trump either of these sides.

Paddy Power are predicting another Donegal victory. They’ve priced the O’Donnell County at 8/13 versus Tyrone’s 7/4. A draw is 13/2.

RTÉ Sport are showing the game live on Sunday.

Prediction: Donegal.

Ulster Football Championship Quarter-Final: Donegal vs Tyrone, Sunday, November 1st, 13:30 (Ballybofey). 

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Offaly vs Carlow: Preview, TV Channel, Prediction, Betting

Offaly vs Carlow is an interesting one in the Leinster Championship on Sunday. Offaly stayed safe in Division 3 despite losing to Tipperary and Derry in their last two games. In contrast, Carlow claimed four points from their last two league games. However, they only got one game under their belts as London conceded in round 7.

As a result, it is hard to gauge how the sides match up heading into this one. Last year, Meath defeated both sides in Leinster. Carlow didn’t survive in the qualifies but Offaly claimed a couple of scalps before being eliminated.

But, there is no such second chance this year so these two sides will be up for this one. It is a great chance for both teams to advance provincially. The winner on Sunday earns a shot at Kildare.

After 50 minutes, Offaly only had 1-03 on the scoreboard against Derry. They did creep back towards the end but the damage was done. In the Championship, they won’t be allowed such time to settle in.

Carlow netted twice in their one game against Sligo. Goals win games and Carlow will be looking to attack Offaly in a similar way.

Paddy Power have Offaly the favourites at 4/9 as opposed to Carlow at 9/4. A draw is 15/2.

The game is live on GAA GO.

Prediction: Draw.

Leinster Senior Football Championship Round 1: Offaly vs Carlow, Sunday, November 1st, 13:30 (Bord na Mona, O’Connor Park).

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Tipperary vs Limerick: Preview, TV Channel, Prediction, Betting

Last weekend, Limerick opened the Munster Hurling Championship by beating Clare by ten points. The result was a statement of intent from the 2018 All-Ireland winners who now face the holders Tipperary just a week on from their victory. Tipperary vs Limerick is at 4pm on Sunday.

Limerick had eleven different scorers in the game against Clare that doubled as the League final. In the forwards, Tom Morrissey (0-4) and Gearóid Hegarty (0-5) found their performances worthy of a Team of the Week inclusion. Likewise, the defenders got in on the action. Diarmuid Byrnes hit 0-3 and Declan Bannon got a point to justify their selections in the week’s finest fifteen.

Limerick’s second-half performance was what really set them apart from a brave Clare team. This sort of seventy-minute performance will encourage John Kiely who knows his team will need to go the distance on Sunday.

Tipp not phased by being the ones to beat

Tipperary are without the advantage of having a competitive game since the GAA’s resumption. However, the fresh legs could be an advantage in itself as the winter setting will take its toll on teams quickly.

In the run to Tipperary’s All-Ireland victory last year, Limerick were the only team to beat them. This was in the Munster final that saw a twelve-point difference between the sides. Despite eventually winning the Liam McCarthy, there will be an element of revenge on the Tipperary players’ minds.

This year, the Championship again offers a second chance via the qualifiers. However, Tipperary captain Seamus Callanan is planning on taking a more direct route this time around.

“We’re in a Munster semi-final, going through the back door is not going to enter our heads. It’s a situation you can only deal with if you’re put in it,” he said. “We’re going all out to win and not thinking that there’s a crutch to fall back on in case anything else happens.”

Limerick’s outing against Clare made them the favourites for this one with Paddy Power. They are 8/11 to defeat the holders. Meanwhile, Tipperary are 11/8 and a draw is 8/1.

RTÉ Sport are showing the game live.

Prediction: Limerick.

Munster Hurling Championship Semi-Final: Tipperary vs Limerick, Sunday, November 1st, 16:00 (Páirc Uí Chaoimh).

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