All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals: All you need to know before Croke Park double-headers

Tyrone and Kerry will meet in the first quarter-final this weekend

It may have taken the new-look All-Ireland a while to get going, but having caught fire in the last couple of weeks, there is an undeniable sense of football fever ahead of quarter-finals weekend.

Like last year, the quarter-finals will take place as two double-headers at Croke Park on Saturday and Sunday, with this week's draw throwing up a last-eight menu full of sub-plots, intrigue and historic rivalries.

The footballing feast begins on Saturday with a mouthwatering curtain-raiser as old foes Kerry and Tyrone renew their championship rivalry before Armagh and Monaghan face off in an all-Ulster encounter.

Then on Sunday, Derry take on Cork before the latest instalment of the most significant rivalry in recent years: Dublin v Mayo.

With extra-time and penalties a possibility, it has the potential to be one of the great All-Ireland knockout weekends. Here is everything you need to know about the quarter-finals.

• The GAA Social Extra - All-Ireland quarter-finals preview

Tyrone v Kerry

Saturday, 15:45 BST

Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare)

When finalising the details of the games, GAA officials clearly had no interest in easing fans into the weekend. No, instead they put Tyrone v Kerry up first.

Not that we're complaining - if you asked fans up and down the country which game they are most looking forward to, you would hear a lot of 'ah, it's got to be Tyrone v Kerry'.

And with good reason. Any mention of Tyrone v Kerry is likely to stir memories of Peter Canavan's goal in the 2005 final, or now joint-manager Brian Dooher's wonder score in the 2008 decider. It's one of those games that always seems to deliver.

Saturday will be the ninth championship meeting between Tyrone and Kerry, but significantly the first since the 2021 semi-final when the Red Hands stunned the Kingdom in extra-time in a match that was delayed by two weeks after a Covid-19 outbreak in the Ulster side's squad.

Given that Tyrone have won the two Division One encounters since then, revenge will be at the forefront of Kerry minds come Saturday.

Saturday will be Tyrone and Kerry's first championship meeting since the Red Hands' 2021 semi-final win after extra-time

Kerry were irresistible while claiming a 38th All-Ireland title last year, and while Jack O'Connor's side have rarely been at their brilliant best this year, putting 5-24 past Louth last time out was a devastating reminder of the Kingdom's unrivalled firepower, with Clifford brothers Paudie and David hitting a combined 3-6.

But Tyrone always relish a championship outing against the green and gold. The Red Hands have absorbed a lot of disappointment since lifting Sam for the fourth time a couple of years ago, but produced their best performance this year to see off Donegal in last week's preliminary quarter-final in Ballybofey.

With Darren McCurry and Mattie Donnelly both in excellent form and the Canavan brothers Darragh and Ruairi combining for 1-19 in the last two games, Tyrone will be confident of heaping more misery on Kerry and ending the Kingdom's hopes of back-to-back titles.

Kerry: Shane Ryan; Graham O'Sullivan, Jason Foley, Tom O'Sullivan; Paul Murphy, Tadhg Morley, Gavin White; Diarmuid O'Connor, Jack Barry; Dara Moynihan, Sean O'Shea, Adrian Spillane; Paudie Clifford, David Clifford, Paul Geaney.

Subs: Shane Murphy, Tony Brosnan, Mike Breen, Brian O Beaglaioch, Barry Dan O'Sullivan, Ruairi Murphy, Micheal Burns, Stephen O'Brien, Donal O'Sullivan, Dylan Casey, Sean O'Brien.

Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Michael McKernan, Ronan McNamee, Padraig Hampsey; Cormac Quinn, Michael O'Neill, Peter Harte; Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick; Conor Meyler, Ruairi Canavan, Kieran McGeary; Darren McCurry, Matthew Donnelly, Darragh Canavan.

Subs: Lorcan Quinn, Frank Burns, Aidan Clarke, Niall Devlin, Richard Donnelly, Niall Kelly, Nathan McCarron, Cathal McShane, Sean O'Donnell, Joe Oguz, Niall Sludden.

Armagh v Monaghan

Saturday, 18:00 BST

Referee: Conor Lane (Cork)

Armagh and Monaghan being pitted against each other guarantees Ulster representation in the semi-finals.

And it feels like a massive day for Armagh. While Monaghan were last in the All-Ireland semi-finals in 2018, 2005 was the last time the Orchard men reached that stage.

There is pressure on Armagh boss Kieran McGeeney to deliver silverware as he approaches 10 years in the job, but there is a sense that losing the Ulster final - their first provincial decider since 2008 - to Derry in such heartbreaking circumstances has whetted this team's appetite for success.

And if Armagh needed more motivation, memories of last year's epic All-Ireland quarter-final shootout defeat by Galway will surely come flooding back once they step out on to Croke Park on Saturday - even if they exacted revenge on the Tribesmen with a dramatic round-robin win earlier this month.

Monaghan won an Ulster semi-final thriller 4-17 to 2-21 when they last met Armagh in the championship

Having topped a tough-looking group that contained Galway, Tyrone and Westmeath, many will regard Armagh as favourites to reach the last four - especially with Rian O'Neill set to return from suspension - but Monaghan simply do not know when they are beaten.

Earlier this year, the Farney men again narrowly avoided the Division One relegation trapdoor before snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in a thrilling Ulster quarter-final against Tyrone.

In their round-robin opener, Karl O'Connell's last-gasp point rescued a draw against Derry while a Conor McCarthy score deep into injury-time ensured their passage out of the preliminary quarter-finals at Kildare's expense.

Armagh and Monaghan's last championship meeting came in the 2021 Ulster semi-final, a rip-roaring game which Monaghan won 4-17 to 2-21 in the sweltering Newry heat. If the two counties approach Saturday's meeting in a similarly swashbuckling manner, it could end up stealing the show this weekend.

Armagh: Ethan Rafferty; Paddy Burns, Aaron McKay, Aidan Forker; Conor O'Neill, Greg McCabe, Callum Cumiskey; Ciaran Mackin, Ben Crealey; Jason Duffy, Rory Grugan, Stefan Campbell; Conor Turbitt, Rian O'Neill, Andrew Murnin.

Subs: Shea Magill, Joe McElroy, Jemar Hall, Justin Kieran, Oisin Conaty, Shane McPartlan, Barry McCambridge, Ross McQuillan, Jarly Og Burns, Connaire Mackin, Tiernan Kelly.

Monaghan: Rory Beggan; Ryan O'Toole, Kieran Duffy, Ryan Wylie; Karl O'Connell, Conor Boyle, Conor McCarthy; Karl Gallagher, Killian Lavelle; Stephen O'Hanlon, Michael Bannigan, Ryan McAnespie; Jack McCarron, Gary Mohan, Dessie Ward.

Subs: Darren McDonnell, Kieran Hughes, Conor McManus, Sean Jones, Darren Hughes, Shane Carey, Kevin Loughran, Fintan Kelly, Darragh McElearney, Francie Hughes, Colm Lennon.

Cork v Derry

Sunday, 13:45 BST

Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan)

Derry and Cork meet in the championship for only the second time. The first was the 1993 All-Ireland final, which remains the Oak Leaf county's greatest day as a 1-14 to 2-8 win gave them their only Sam Maguire triumph.

Back-to-back Ulster champions Derry have been an impressive force in the championship over the last 18 months, winning nine of 11 games with their only defeat coming against Galway in last year's All-Ireland semi-finals.

Having conquered Ulster again, Ciaran Meenagh's side beat Donegal and Clare after drawing with Monaghan to book their place in the last eight for the second year in a row.

Derry forward Shane McGuigan is the top scorer in this year's championship with 2-42

At this stage last year, Derry were emphatic 5-13 to 2-8 winners over Clare, and while they still earned a draw with Cork in Division Two earlier this year despite resting several key players, Sunday's game is expected to be a lot tighter.

After all, this is a Cork team who beat Mayo and ran Kerry close in the round-robin series before edging out Roscommon in the preliminary quarter-finals thanks to Kevin O'Donovan's 73rd-minute score.

While Cork have the momentum, Derry will be fresh from having last weekend off as the Oak Leafers continue their quest to cap an impressive rise in recent years with a second All-Ireland title.

Cork: Micheal Aodh Martin; Maurice Shanley, Rory Maguire, Tommy Walsh; Kevin O'Donovan, Daniel O'Mahony, Matty Taylor; Colm O'Callaghan, Ian Maguire; Brian O'Driscoll, Ruairi Deane, Killian O'Hanlon; Sean Powter, Steven Sherlock, Eoghan McSweeney.

Subs: Patrick Doyle, Cian Kiely, Tom Clancy, Darragh Cashman, Paul Walsh, Chris Og Jones, Conor Corbett, John O'Rourke, Mark Cronin, Brian Hurley, Fionn Herlihy.

Derry: Odhran Lynch; Chrissy McKaigue, Eoghan McEvoy, Conor McCluskey; Conor Doherty, Gareth McKinless, Padraig McGrogan; Conor Glass, Brendan Rogers; Benny Heron, Paul Cassidy, Ethan Doherty; Ciaran McFaul, Shane McGuigan, Niall Loughlin.

Subs: Thomas Mallon, Declan Cassidy, Niall Toner, Shea Downey, Lachlan Murray, Ben McCarron, Paul McNeil, Padraig Cassidy, Conleth McGuckian, Mark Doherty, Diarmuid Baker.

• Meenagh hopes 'less is more' approach pays off

Dublin v Mayo

Sunday, 16:00 BST

Referee: David Gough (Meath)

Closing out the weekend will be the latest chapter in a rivalry that has produced some of the finest championship games of the 21st century. If the Tyrone-Kerry rivalry owned the noughties, Dublin-Mayo has been the dominant headline act over the last decade or so.

More often than not, of course, they have ended with Dublin delight and Mayo misery. In fact, since Mayo's All-Ireland semi-final win in 2012, Dublin have won six and drawn two of the last nine meetings.

It just so happens that Mayo's only win since 2012 was the sides' most recent encounter in 2021, when they secured a three-point victory in the semi-final before losing the showpiece to Tyrone.

As with the other three quarter-finals, this is a tough one to call. While the 2021 result eradicated the psychological edge Dublin held over Mayo for so many years, the Dubs have won five of their six championship games this year, scoring 13-121 in the process.

Con O'Callaghan is Dublin's top scorer with 2-24 in this year's championship

Mayo, however, have been more unpredictable. While they have made great strides under Kevin McStay, as evidenced by their National League triumph, they have mixed surprise defeats by Roscommon and Cork with impressive wins over Kerry and Galway in the championship.

There is a suggestion, too, that the physical and mental energy required to edge past Galway in last week's preliminary quarter-final in Salthill may work against McStay's side come Sunday.

And while the aura of invincibility of Jim Gavin-era Dublin is long gone, their record at this stage of the competition - they hope to reach the semi-finals for the 14th year in a row - surely has to count for something.

If Tyrone and Kerry fail to deliver a blockbuster, expect events from this one to dominate post-match discussions next week.

Dublin: Stephen Cluxton; Daire Newcombe, Michael Fitzsimons, Lee Gannon; James McCarthy, John Small, Jack McCaffrey; Brian Fenton, Brian Howard; Ciaran Kilkenny, Sean Bugler, Niall Scully; Paddy Small, Con O'Callaghan, Colm Basquel.

Subs: Evan Comerford, David Byrne, Cormac Costello, Craig Dias, Tom Lahiff, Sean MacMahon, Paul Mannion, Eoin Murchan, Cian Murphy, Lorcan O'Dell, Dean Rock.

Mayo: Colm Reape; Jack Coyne, David McBrien, Padraig O'Hora; Paddy Durcan, Stephen Coen, Eoghan McLaughlin; Matthew Ruane, Diarmuid O'Connor; Jason Doherty, Jack Carney, Jordan Flynn; Aidan O'Shea, Tommy Conroy, Ryan O'Donoghue.

Subs: Rory Byrne, Sam Callinan, James Carr, Enda Hession, Conor Loftus, Fionn McDonagh, Darren McHale, Donnacha McHugh, Kevin McLoughlin, Cillian O'Connor, Bob Tuohy.

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