Thursday, December 19, 2024

GAA legend backs Louth to beat Cork and Mayo to pile on misery for Derry

Must read

TOMORROW sees Louth take on Cork at 3pm in Inniskeen and I fancy The Wee County to get a result.

Having seen Cork up close last weekend, I think John Cleary has his men moving in the right direction.

3

Cork are going in the right direction under John ClearyCredit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

However, they are lacking serious fire power up front without the services of Brian Hurley.

Louth were having an excellent season up until their clash with Kerry. This game will boil down to the availability of Hurley and the signs suggest he won’t be playing.

Without him, I think Louth will come out on top here.

Today Galway v Monaghan kick off proceedings. Galway will obviously be disappointed not to have topped their group but home advantage here is huge.

Monaghan struggled for periods against Meath last Sunday and will have to improve significantly if they are to pose any threat to Galway.

I don’t see this happening as Galway simply have too much for them.

Roscommon have it all to do against Tyrone at Healy Park. The Cork defence did well to hold the Tyrone forward line for large periods last weekend.

However, when Darragh Canavan opened up and started to perform, Cork found it difficult to stay in touch with them.

Mattie Donnelly’s clever positioning also is a huge plus for Tyrone when he plays at centre back.

Although Roscommon have some quality players of their own, I see nothing but a home win here.

GAA fans all focused on same remark during Limerick captain Declan Hannon’s speech after Munster final

Since the National League final Derry have completely surrendered.

Despite their victory against Westmeath, my views have not changed.

The wheels have completely come off and I don’t think Mickey Harte has these lads playing for him anymore.

Mayo will be disappointed that they didn’t beat Dublin last weekend, but I think they can get over the line here.

PUNTERS LOSING THE FAITH IN SOUTHGATE

by Nicola McGeady

This may shock some readers…England are still joint-favourites with France to win Euro 2024.

Despite dropping points and another underwhelming performance against Denmark on Thursday night, along with a lot of criticism for Gareth Southgate, they remain 7/2 to win the tournament.

England remain among the favourites for Euro 2024 despite the draw with Denmark

3

England remain among the favourites for Euro 2024 despite the draw with DenmarkCredit: GETTY

However support for them is certainly dwindling.

The Germans made it two wins from two and are very much one of the strongest sides at 4/1 to win on home soil, but the team that have really impressed me are Spain.

They weren’t considered among the favourites pre-tournament but two matches in and they have to be considered as serious contenders now.

Sitting at 5/1 now following their impressive win over Italy, I fancy them to go all the way.

The Golden Boot betting is however dominated by one name and that is Harry Kane.

After registering his first goal of the tournament against the Danes, the English striker has gone clear favourite to top the scoring charts at 4/1.

Only Kylian Mbappe comes slightly close at odds of 9/1.

Today Czech Republic are favourites to see off Georgia, Portugal are expected to get the job done against Turkey, while anything but a Belgium victory over Romania would be a shock.

MCTOMINAY IN DEMAND

In an exclusive interview with Ladbrokes, ex Scottish skipper Kenny Miller, has his say on where Scott McTominay should go.

“There’s definitely going to be a number of Premier League teams that would be interested in Scott McTominay, if he was to leave Manchester United this summer.

“Listen, he’s a United player, and he’s been with the club since he was a boy. I’m assuming he won’t want to leave and I’m sure he”ll be striving to help take Man United back to the levels they were at a few years ago.

Scott McTominay could leave Man Utd this summer

3

Scott McTominay could leave Man Utd this summerCredit: Getty

“It’s tragic, sometimes, when you watch United now and compare it to where they once were.

“But if he was to leave, I’ve no doubt there’d be no shortage of takers for Scott.

“And there might be a better fit for him somewhere. You know, there might be somewhere he can have a more prominent role.

“You look at how integral he has been for the national team, and how important he’s been for United this season when he has played… he’s a player who’ll never let you down.

“I’m sure there will be teams out there who would love to have Scott McTominay in their starting line-up every single week.”

Latest article