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6 key questions for today's All-Ireland football round 4 qualifier ties

There’s places at the quarter-final stage on offer today in Croke Park and Carrick-on-Shannon.

1. Can beaten teams cope with the six-day turnaround?

Only twice in the history of the All-Ireland football qualifiers, have beaten provincial finalists bounced back the following week to win on the backdoor stage. Dublin had a seven day break before beating Sligo in 2oo1 while Down responded in six days to defeat Tipperary last year.

That’s the challenge facing Donegal and London today as they try to recover from last Sunday’s respective defeats in the Ulster and Connacht finals. There was a greater shock factor associated with Donegal losing in an Ulster championship tie for the first time since they met Down in May 2010.

Jim McGuinness frequently preaches the importance of proper preparation before games but his time with his players will have been restricted this week. Coping with a late July schedule is something novel for the London footballers as well.

Donegal have shown enough over the last couple of years to convince that they can rise to this challenge. For London the task is more difficult given the buoyant mood of the Cavan team they face.

2. Which team will take to the field for Cork?

The announcement of Cork’s midweek football team selections are largely a test of faith. To believe or not to believe? The side released on Wednesday night exhibited radical surgery with six changes from the loss to Kerry in Killarney.

But there is predictable debate about whether Conor Counihan will shuffle things around before throw-in. Their substitutes certainly worked in the second-half of the Munster final and there are benefits in the inclusion of Alan O’Connor at midfield, Mark Collins at wing-forward and particularly Ciaran Sheehan at full-forward.

Their late revival in Fitzgerald Stadium also raises questions over which Cork performance is the reliable barometer before today’s tussle with Galway – the limp first-half showing or the storming finale?

3. Will Laois maintain their qualifier momentum?

Apart from their crushing 15-point loss to Kildare in the qualifiers in 2011, the qualifiers have been a happy hunting ground for Laois under the tutelage of Justin McNulty.

Last year they responded from their opening Leinster loss to Longford to overcome a series of qualifier tests against Carlow, Monaghan, Leitrim and Meath with an average winning margin of 3.75 points.

This year has followed a similiar pattern with another early setback in Leinster before they have strung together backdoor victories against Carlow, Clare and Wexford. They opened their shoulders to achieve an average winning margin of 13 points from their first two games but last Saturday’s two-point success away to Wexford was the most admirable.

Laois have displayed powers of recovery again and accumulated qualifier momentum but are they capable of channelling that to claim their greatest qualifier scalp yet when they meet Donegal today?

4. How will Galway cope in unfamiliar environs?

Since the heady days when they contested four All-Ireland final ties between 1998 and 2001, and lifted Sam Maguire twice, Galway have not been frequent visitors to Croke Park. Today the county’s footballers are back at headquarters for the first time since 2008 when Michael Meehan starred and Kerry won in a monsoon.

It is unfamiliar environs that Alan Mulholland’s side find themselves performing in against Cork with an All-Ireland quarter-final place on offer. Mulholland will have happy memories of the venue after steering the county to an All-Ireland U21 title in 2011 against Cavan.

That U21 team featured current senior starters in Manus Breathnach, Johnny Duane, Tom Flynn, Conor Doherty and Danny Cummins, while Fiontan O Curraoin and Michael Farragher came on as substitutes last Saturday against Armagh.

Home comforts have helped Galway in bouncing back from the mauling against Mayo in May as they have strung together wins over Tipperary, Waterford and Armagh. But now they move away from Pearse Stadium to Croke Park against a team in Cork who are well-versed in playing in those surroundings.

5. Are Cavan on the cusp of history?

The term ‘sleeping giant’ has been tagged to the Cavan footballers for some time now given the county’s rich history in garnering 5 All-Ireland crowns and 39 Ulster titles. Having not climbed the provincial podium since 1997, their supporters have been fed a diet of disappointment of late.

But now they are 70 minutes away from reaching the last eight in the All-Ireland series for the first time since the inception of the quarter-finals in 2001. Last Saturday’s tie against Derry was their first time reaching the last 12 since 2005 and was a milestone in itself.

However they overcame that hurdle with what was a significant win against Derry. The wealth of underage talent at their disposal was reinforced by the impact made by newcomers Michael Argue and Darragh McVitty in extra-time last Saturday.

But there is also a hardened edge to Terry Hyland’s side as evidenced by that win over Derry after a marathon affair and the manner in which they have bounced back from the disappointment of losing to Monaghan in Ulster.

6. Who has the stronger credentials to be a Top 8 team between Meath and Tyrone?

Mickey Harte has been steadfast in his belief all year that his team have the capacity to be involved as the business end of the season on the August Bank Holiday weekend. Tyrone are now just one game away from realizing that ambition.

Last Saturday was a perfect example of their ability to dig out a victory in difficult circumstances against Kildare, something they had previously showed against Roscommon.

But they will tread warily against a Meath team and not just because of the historical rule the Royals exert against Red Hands outfits. Meath did a lot of good things in the Leinster final and Mick O’Dowd has assembled a well-drilled unit.

Avoiding the trap of defeat like they did last year at this stage against Laois is another source of motivation.

Can the champions Donegal recover from last Sunday’s shock defeat to Monaghan?

Bank Holiday Monday to be avoided as fixture date for All-Ireland football quarter-finals

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