Selections:
1) 2.5pts on Donegal vs Dublin Under 30.5pts at 5/6 (Ladbrokes)
3) 1.5pts on Galway/Kerry Both Teams to Score a Goal at 21/20 (PaddyPower)
The first of the Eirgrid U21 Football semi finals throws in on Saturday with Donegal taking on Dublin at 14.30 in Breffni Park, Cavan. Donegal only won their Ulster title defeating Derry on Monday night and yet five days later, they find themselves competing in an All Ireland semi final. Dublin arrive at this juncture having accounted for Offaly in the Leinster Final which took place 17 days ago.
Declan Bonner has been in control of this Donegal team since they were U16s. They defend deep in numbers and look to counter attack at pace, offloading the ball to runners from deep coming off the shoulder. They have some real talent in their ranks with a number involved with the Donegal seniors. If you look at the blueprint for playing against a defensive team, you need to hold the ball, keep width, avoid turnovers and try utilise runners from deep. The Dubs are the fresher team and members of their management team were in attendance at the last two Donegal games, so they will certainly be aware of the considerable task that awaits them. Dessie Farrell's side have their own star players too, and the battle between Eoghan Ban Gallagher and Con O'Callaghan is sure to be epic.
Donegal are quite comfortable playing within their system and it will be up to Dublin to take the game to them. We feel that the Dubs will look to keep the ball and move it from left to right which will slow the game down and reduce scoring opportunities. Both teams have scored quite heavily so far, but this is set up to be a tight affair and we are happy to have 2.5pts on under 30.5pts at 5/6 with Ladbrokes.
The second Semi Final throws in at 16.30 in Ennis where hot favourites Kerry are expected to easily account for Connaught champions Galway. Having won the last three Minor All Ireland's there is huge expectations on this Kerry team to deliver. They will start the game on Saturday with 14 players who have won a minor all Ireland which is an incredible statistic. They possess quality all over their team and the bench is loaded with talent, chomping at the bit to make an impression.
The people of Galway are starting to feel good again about their footballers again. A huge win against Kildare in the Division 2 final has the county on a high and U21 star Michael Daly came on in that game to kick two crucial points from play. They have been allowed to come under the radar somewhat into this game, and we expect them to get much closer to Kerry than what is expected. In their three games so far, Galway have scored 4-10 (Leitrim), 2-13 (Mayo) and 3-20 after extra time against Sligo. Do not forget Mayo were the 2016 All Ireland U21 champs so this Galway team are no slouches. Kerry conceded 2-8 to Clare in the Munster championship so we know they can be vulnerable. Cork never showed up in the Munster final but Galway will expect to be competitive and should score freely in an open game. We like the look of Galway to score over 12.5pts at 8/11 with Boylesports and we will have a 3pt stake on that.
When looking at the six games involving both Kerry and Galway so far, there has been 20 goals scored. Fair to say both teams play open football! Galway have scored 9 goals conceding 5, while Kerry have netted 4 times and conceded 2. We expect this game to an open affair and if Galway are to have any chance of winning they are going to need to score goals. So with this in mind our final selection is 1.5pts on Both Teams to Score a Gaol at 21/20 with PaddyPower.
Cheers Lads, very good article defo agree on Kerry Galway being an open affair but just can't see Galway being within 5 points come the final whistle!
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