All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: betting preview, tips & TV details

Sky Sports Arena, from 4pm Saturday

Galway v Mayo
Sky Sports Arena, 7pm

If Mayo had their their full quota of players to pick from, they would be strong fancies to book a place in the Super 8s, but they can still sneak through despite the absence of several stars.

Galway are vulnerable following a deflating Connacht final defeat to Roscommon.

That was a game they were in complete control of but they let it slip with errors in the second half.

Damien Comer and Paul Conroy have been sorely missed over the last few months and Kevin Walsh has his work cut out to get them back on track. They look a side still suffering from a 2018 hangover.

At least Mayo have came in out the right side of an epic qualifier encounter and that hard-earned success over Armagh could be the catalyst for a ticket to the Super 8s.

Expect to see more of Cillian O’Connor and Kevin McLoughlin and that precious pair can unlock a fragile Galway defence who struggled to contain Roscommon.

Mayo’s recent record against Galway is atrocious and they will never get a better chance to alter the trend.

You could argue the injury list on either side cancels each other out and Mayo’s recent victories over Down and Armagh could make all the difference in a game with so much on the line. They have been winning, while Galway have been licking their wounds following the Connacht final setback.

This is a game not to be missed and Mayo can extend their summer in typically gutsy fashion.

Recommendation
Mayo
2pts 10-11 general

Cork v Laois, 5pm

Don’t be fooled by Cork’s Munster campaign and get on Laois to cause an upset at Semple Stadium. This match is nowhere near as straightforward as the betting suggests.

It seems almost everyone is convinced that Cork are on the way back to becoming a footballing superpower again. But a double-digit win over a poor Limerick side and a reasonable showing in a Munster final don't warrant such short prices in a qualifier at a neutral ground against a side who are battle-hardened back-door specialists.

Laois are organised well by John Sugrue and have earned back-to-back promotions in the league.

Donnie Kingston looked better than ever against Offaly and his brother Paul impressed too. Graham Brody is among the top three keepers in Ireland and, with John O’Loughlin dictating the tempo of games from midfield, Laois have built an impressive outfit with solid foundations.

They don’t concede many goals either. Two quickfire Meath majors in the latter stages of the first half undid a lot of good work in the first half of their Leinster semi-final, but they have steadied the ship with impressive qualifier wins over Derry and Offaly.

You could argue that Laois have achieved more than Cork in 2019.

When these sides were paired together in Monday’s draw, it would have been nosurprise to see Laois no bigger than 6-4, so it's a surprise to see odds of better than 2-1. This could be one the layers have got wrong.

Recommendation
Laois
3pts 21-10, Betfair, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power

Cavan v Tyrone
Sky Sports Arena, 5pm

Cavan were outclassed by Donegal in the Ulster final, but so too were Tyrone in the provincial semi-final, and there is not as much of a gulf in class between the two sides as the betting suggests.

Tyrone have returned to the system which propelled them to an All-Ireland final in 2018 so the attractive, kicking game which took everyone by surprise in the latter stages of the league camapign is now a distant memory.

Hand-passing and hard running are once again the order of the day but they could get lost in translation against the top sides and Cavan have the potential to exploit the flaws in their system.

Michael Graham is shrewd - you don’t take a club from Longford to an All-Ireland semi-final without having the ability to break down more accomplished sides - and another Graham masterclass could be in store at Clones. He has a canny knack of getting his match-ups spot on, as was the case against Monaghan earlier in the campaign.

This could descend into a low-scoring, dour struggle between two sides at pains not to concede easy scores and for that reason Cavan look the value option.

They were outclassed by Donegal but their Armagh form doesn’t look too shabby and their style of play could frustrate Tyrone.

Cavan with a five-point head start on the handicap looks the best bet on the coupon, but is is hard to resist having a nibble on the Breffni boys to win in 70 minutes and in the double-result market.

It doesn't appear as though Tyrone are operating at the level they were in 2018 and this could be where they are found out. The Mickey Harte era might just be reaching its final chapter.

Recommendations
Cavan
1pt 4-1 BoyleSports
Cavan +5
3pts 5-6 Betway, BoyleSports
Cavan-Cavan double result
1pt 9-1 Betway
Under 33.5 points
2pts 5-6 Betfair, Paddy Power