GAA: Allianz Football League Sunday match betting preview and tips

Free GAA gaelic football tips, best bets and match previews for Sunday's Allianz Football League fixtures.

Best bets

Meath -1
1pt 4-1 Paddy Power

Meath to win by exactly three points
0.5pt 18-1 Paddy Power

Donegal -1
2pts Evs bet365

Offaly
2pts 6-4 general

Sunday football analysis

Meath v Galway

Pairc Tailteann, 2.30pm

Galway will be included in plenty of multiples as top faces bottom in Division One, but a trip to Navan to face winless Meath may not be as straightforward as the betting suggests and the home side could cause an upset.

Padraic Joyce has made a glorious start as Galway boss. The Tribesmen are top of the table with three wins out of four and they are the top scorers in the division with 79 points, an average of 19.75 per game.

They scored 2-25 in last Sunday’s runaway victory over Tyrone and their confidence could not be higher.

Meath have no points after four rounds, but the way they kept battling against Kerry despite being 1-5 to 0-0 behind in the early stages of last Sunday’s tussle in Killarney suggests the mood remains positive and they are usually competitive at home.

They outplayed Mayo for long periods in round three and, only for the concession of a late Kevin McLoughlin goal, they would have secured their first success of the campaign. To score 2-13 against Kerry in Killarney is quite an achievement and the way Galway play might actually suit Meath.

Galway love to kick the ball whenever possible and their motto seems to be to get the ball forward to Shane Walsh and Damien Comer as quickly as possible. That will allow Meath to play on the counter-attack and they are packed with pace.

The return of the nippy James Conlon is a massive boost, while Cillian O’Sullivan and Bryan McMahon love nothing better than running straight through the heart of defences. That trio have the potential to hurt Galway.

The superb Donal Keogan will make runs from deep. He got Meath’s opening goal against Kerry and is a valuable addition to the attack when he creeps forward. James McEntee is a similar sort of player and the Royals looked more balanced than ever.

The towering midfield partnership of Bryan Menton and Brien Conlon should hold their own too.

Odds of 4-1 about Meath winning by two points or more looks value, while a small wager on the hosts to win by three points at 18-1 with Paddy Power is advised at a price which is 14-1 elsewhere.

Donegal v Monaghan

Ballyshannon, 2pm

No side have been cursed more than Donegal over the last few weeks and how they have only three points from a possible eight in Division One is a mystery.

They were about four or five points better than Mayo in round one. They controlled the game from start to finish, only for a deflected late goal to sealing a smash-and-grab win for the visitors.

They hammered Meath in round two before somehow losing to Galway despite being four points clear with the wind at their backs midway through the second half.

They outplayed Dublin for long periods in Croke Park last Saturday and galloped into a five-point first-half lead, but a rare Shaun Patton mistake gave Dublin the edge and the All-Ireland champions ran out minimum-margin winners.

A clash with Monaghan, on home soil in Ballyshannon, is the perfect way for Donegal to get back on track and they are fancied to beat the Farney Army by two points or more.

Paddy McBrearty should be returning to full fitness and Declan Bonner has a few more options this week. Donegal can prove they are a better side than Monaghan.

Offaly v Down

O'Connor Park, 2.30pm

Offaly and Down have both banked five points from their opening four rounds in Division Three, so it makes no sense for John Maughan's side to be outsiders on home soil.

Offaly have beaten Louth and Leitrim on their last two outings and they are an emerging force. They are tough opponents for anyone at O'Connor Park and odds of 6-4 about them seeing off Down look too big.

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