Orla Bannon
BBC Sport Northern Ireland at Pairc Esler

Much like last Sunday's Monaghan v Cavan clash at Clones, the wind is going to be a big factor in this Ulster Championship game.

It's sunny in Pairc Esler at the moment but a strong breeze is blowing from the Canal goals down towards the town goals.

Antrim skipper Dermot McAleese has won the coin toss and elected to play with the wind in the first half. Looks like a sensible move by the underdogs.

In their first outing since a disappointing Division Three final defeat a fortnight ago Down make two changes to their starting 15.Conor Laverty has brought in Shealan Johnston and Conor McCrickard with Finn McElroy and James Guinness dropping out.

Meanwhile, Antrim who secured safety in the third tier with a win over Wicklow on the final day of the campaign have altered their forward line. Daniel McNicholl has been reduced to the bench and Pat Shivers also makes way.

Down: J O'Hare; P Fegan, R McEvoy, C Doherty; M Rooney, P Laverty, D Guinness; S Johnston, O Murdock; C McCrickard, L Kerr, R Johnston; B O'Hagan, P Havern, J Guinness.

Antrim: M Byrne; R Boyle, E Walsh, K Keenan; D Lynch, J Finnegan, D McAleese; C Hynds, M Jordan; C Hand, P McBride, E Hynds; R McQuillan, R McCann, D McEnhill

Image source, BBC Sport

Oisin McConville
Armagh All-Ireland winner on BBC Sport

Antrim are struggling because of the amount of injuries they have had. Antrim's record here and the way they play here isn't good, but it is the Ulster Championship and you have to expect a shock.

Patrick McBride has been togging out for Antrim long enough to be able to say two things: he has played at Casement Park and he has won an Ulster Championship match.

There aren't many active Antrim players who can say that, but McBride has been battling for the Saffrons cause for 12 years.

It is an inter-county career which, remarkably, has yielded just a single win for McBride in the provincial arena. That came against Fermanagh in the quarter-finals in 2014.

So, while Rory McIlroy is attempting to win his first major title since 2014 at the Masters this weekend, Antrim will be looking to end their own 10-year hoodoo when face Down at Pairc Esler in Saturday's opening quarter-final.

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Image source, Inpho

Ulster Championship quarter-final coverage as Down welcome Antrim to Pairc Esler, live on the BBC iPlayer

Coverage begins at 17:45 BST.

Image source, BBC Sport

We love the Ulster Championship here in Ulster and many also do further field, but it's time to seriously consider finding a new place for it in the calendar.

Being in Clones last week for what would normally be a really well-attended local derby, but turned out to be a fairly low-key start to the championship, I couldn't help but think the provincial competitions would be better served if they were to take place earlier in the season.

Read more here

Image source, BBC Sport

After Cavan's surprise win over Monaghan in last weekend's opener, Antrim are hoping to upset Down in today's Ulster Football quarter-final.

Going on the bookies, the Saffrons may as well not even bother turning up to Pairc Esler with Down priced at 8-1 on to win by one of the more prominent sporting speculators.

Those odds may be over-egging the Mournemen's favouritism a tad but there's no doubt they are expected to win this evening with a degree to spare against a county who have not won an Ulster Championship match since 2014.

After coming up short last Spring, Down duly delivered promotion to Division Two three weeks ago - although they subsequently suffered a disappointing defeat by Westmeath in the Division Two final.

In contrast, Antrim, after a bright start to the campaign, lost four successive games which left then needing a nervy round-seven win over Wicklow to avoid the drop to Division Four.

That run of four straight defeats was started by Down's comfortable 1-15 to 1-6 win over the Saffrons at Corrigan Park - a game in which the Mournemen's turnovers proved crucial as the home side habitually ran into traffic.

Antrim's prospects aren't helped by the absence of the likes of Aghagallon's Ruairi McCann, last year's skipper Peter Healy and Ryan Murray and it's difficult to advance any real coherent argument why Andy McEntee's side will triumph today.

Image source, Inpho